Speaking at an EUseminar on Geographical Indications (GI) on April 22, Vice DirectorGeneral of the National Office of Intellectual Property Tran Huu Namsaid that the country had certified 35 unique GIs.
A GI is a name or symbol on the packaging of a product certifying thatit possesses a certain guaranteed quality due to its geographical originand the traditional methods used in its creation. Products bearing a GIprove particularly attractive to buyers.
Namestimated that the country has around 1,000 traditional agriculturalproducts and produce with a fine reputation for quality and anassociation with a particular region, and declared that in the nearfuture they should be assigned GIs.
He said GIs helpconsumers find authentic products, thus boosting the production andtrade of traditional goods. They also play an important role in thedevelopment of agriculture, rural areas and the quality of localproducts.
Famous certified GIs include Phu Quoc fish sauce, ShanTuyet Moc Chau tea, Buon Ma Thuat coffee, Doan Hung grapefruit and BinhThuan green dragon fruit.
The Ambassador-head of theEU delegation, Franz Jessen, said that GIs will guarantee the qualityof Vietnamese agricultural products in the EU.
Vietnam was among only a few countries to achieve export growth tothe EU in the last few years, and this growth will help push thenegotiation process for a bilateral trade agreement between the countryand the EU, he noted.
Deputy Head of the Instituteof Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development Vu TrongBinh said that GI development in Vietnam faced many difficultiesbecause consumers knew too little about them and cooperation amongsectors was still poor.
He said that the indicatorshad been mostly used to protect intellectual property, but they shouldalso be seen as an instrument to boost agriculture production.-VNA