Quang Tri Province takes strong action to safeguard agricultural product brands

Trademark violations and counterfeit goods have become widespread issues plaguing agricultural products nationwide, leaving consumers confused and genuine producers at a disadvantage.

Quang Tri Province, however, is stepping up its game to protect and preserve its agricultural product brands, ensuring the rights of both producers and consumers.

Quang Tri green tea is now certified with a geographical indication. Photo: Tran Anh Minh

Recognizing the significance of intellectual property (IP), the Department of Science and Technology has advised the Provincial People’s Committee to issue Directive No. 07/CT-UBND, which aims to strengthen state management of IP within the province. Complementing this directive, Plan No. 155/KH-UBND has been put into action, outlining the Intellectual Property Development Program in Quang Tri Province until 2030.

The province has already achieved success in safeguarding its unique agricultural products. Geographical indications for Quang Tri pepper and Quang Tri green tea have been successfully registered and protected, ensuring their authenticity.

Building on this momentum, efforts are now underway to extend geographical indication protection to coffee and tea products in Huong Hoa District. Additionally, Quang Tri boasts an impressive collection of six certification marks and 59 collective marks, providing legal protection for the distinctive products and strengths of the localities.

The One Commune One Product (OCOP) program has played a pivotal role in recognizing and classifying 119 products. Notably, 42 of these products have achieved a remarkable 4-star rating, with one even proposed for a 5-star rating from the central Government. To establish intellectual property rights for these products, Quang Tri Province recognizes it as a mandatory first step.

Once granted the necessary certificates, the focus shifts to building a solid reputation for the products, instilling trust among consumers, and developing self-protection strategies to combat the proliferation of counterfeit goods.

Collaborative efforts with State-level management agencies, mass media, and other relevant stakeholders are essential to implement effective protection measures, management plans, and the sustainable development of protected trademarks and product brands.

Quang Tri’s enterprises are not resting on their laurels when it comes to improving the quality of their agricultural products. They have invested significantly in advanced production equipment and provided support to local farmers to enhance processing capacities.

These efforts are aimed at winning the hearts of consumers, expanding market reach, and ensuring a stable output. As a result, Quang Tri’s agricultural products are gaining official recognition in the demanding export markets.

The province has also demonstrated its commitment to supporting the development of intellectual property assets. Resolution No. 163/2021/NQ-HDND of the Provincial People’s Council clearly outlines the support measures, including assistance for building and applying quality management systems, certification of product conformity, and the registration and issuance of IP protection certificates. Furthermore, small and medium-sized creative startups receive additional support under Decree No. 80/2021/ND-CP, which covers various aspects of intellectual property rights establishment, exploitation, and protection.

Quang Tri Province has set ambitious goals for the future. By 2025, they aim to support registration, management, and development, including origin control and quality assurance for over 60% of products associated with the OCOP program. Looking even further ahead, by 2030, this support is expected to expand to cover over 85% of such products. These targets underscore the province’s commitment to protecting producers and consumers, ensuring the integrity of reputation and product brands.

According to the Director of Science and Technology Department Thai Thi Nga, the province will enhance communications to raise public awareness among producers and consumers about their rights and how to protect them, so that they will be able to defend themselves against counterfeits and ensure the legality and reputation of local brands.

In addition, provincial and local government agencies will enhance market supervision to protect consumers and producers. Local companies are obliged to follow the rules on protecting consumers' and producers’ rights, and assure product and service qualities, while government agencies will develop proper policies to support consumers and producers in such matter.

In a world increasingly driven by the knowledge economy, intellectual property plays a pivotal role in promoting innovation, creativity, and maintaining a competitive advantage. Quang Tri Province recognizes this and understands that protecting the brand of each agricultural product requires unwavering support from the state and active collaboration among all stakeholders involved. With their proactive measures, Quang Tri is leading the charge in securing the future of their agricultural product brands.

Tran Anh Minh – Huy Anh