There is work but not "there"

This was shared by Labor Hero Ho Quang Cua at the workshop “Building a national brand for Vietnamese rice”, organized by Tuoi Tre newspaper in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the People’s Committee of Soc Trang province on the afternoon of December 10, in Soc Trang. This is an important event in the context of the Vietnamese rice industry achieving impressive achievements in export.

Vietnamese rice has entered the world 's high-end market.

Talking about the prospect of Vietnamese rice having built a brand, what will it be like in the next 10 years, Labor Hero Ho Quang Cua acknowledged that, based on the experience of building famous rice brands in the world such as in India, Thailand, and Cambodia, "we have not been able to do it (brand), and even if we do, it will not go anywhere".

Overview of the workshop – Photo: Quang Dinh

“Looking at the most successful countries in the world in building brands, India focuses on Basmati, Thailand has Hom Mali, which means they focus on one variety. After focusing on one variety, there will always be a purity standard. In the next 10 years, wherever Vietnam goes, it must follow international rules, it cannot do otherwise,” Mr. Cua stated his opinion.

According to Mr. Ho Quang Cua, aroma is the essence of rice, all countries choose aroma as their brand. The next step is always purity, while the criteria for white rice and moisture are normal.

In Vietnam, chemical contamination is too much due to intensive farming, so in the issue of building a brand in Vietnam, in addition to the purity standard, it is necessary to limit chemicals so that rice has a natural flavor (reduce chemical pesticides with organic pesticides, reduce chemical fertilizers with biological fertilizers), avoid ripening rice during periods of heavy rain or too much sunlight to maintain the aroma.

“We are very happy that this year, as we enter the world’s high-end rice market, the behavior of businesses and farmers has changed a lot. Businesses and people have gradually requested and supported each other to upgrade product quality. That is the factor that helps us move forward,” Mr. Ho Quang Cua commented.

Hero of Labor, engineer Ho Quang Cua – Photo: Quang Dinh

Regarding this, Mr. Pham Thai Binh - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Trung An High-Tech Agriculture Joint Stock Company has a different perspective, Vietnam has talked about and made a rice brand for a long time. Currently, it is not entirely correct to say that it has not been successful.

Currently, the Philippines imports tens of thousands of tons of rice from Vietnam every year. “At the end of 2023, India banned rice exports, causing rice prices to rise. But now that India has lifted the ban and is selling at very low prices, why doesn’t the Philippines buy from India but from Vietnam? That’s because they have confidence in Vietnamese rice,” Mr. Binh said.

Therefore, according to Mr. Binh, building a successful rice brand means building the trust of domestic and international consumers.

Regarding the issue of building a national brand for Vietnamese rice, Mr. Binh said that from 2010 to 2014, he and Mr. Ho Quang Cua were "inseparable" in the issue of building ST rice to spread around the world.

According to Mr. Binh, why is our Vietnam ST25 famous in the world, although the export output is not much, but we can use it to build the Vietnamese rice brand. When we have the best rice in the world as a national brand, other types of rice will also benefit. Vietnam should use ST25 rice as a typical rice variety of Vietnam.

In addition, brand building should be from the field to the table, especially the issue of food hygiene and safety. If not built properly, even if the best rice in the world is returned in hundreds of containers, we will still be affected.

“To build a rice brand, we must build the entire chain from seed to fields, production and processing. If we build consumer trust, then the brand building will be successful,” said Mr. Binh.

Proposing 6 solutions to overcome and build Vietnamese rice brand

From a local perspective, Mr. Vuong Quoc Nam - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Soc Trang province - shared that in recent years, Soc Trang has had a policy of promoting the restructuring of agricultural production towards increasing added value and adapting to climate change. The rice industry is identified as one of the province's key products. In particular, the rice industry has gradually improved in quality and economic efficiency, increasing income for rice growers.

The highlight is that the proportion of specialty rice and high-quality rice accounts for over 54%. Particularly, ST24 and ST25 rice varieties account for over 18% and are ranked as “the best rice in the world” through international competitions.

Mr. Vuong Quoc Nam said that the competitive pressure in the international market is increasing for the rice industry. Many countries in the region that have advantages in rice are also gradually reopening after a period of export restrictions.

Consumer tastes in some traditional markets have also changed significantly. Many countries and consumers are not only interested in delicious, nutritious, and healthy rice products, but also require environmentally friendly rice production. This shows that Vietnam's rice industry is facing both challenges and opportunities.

On the management side, Mr. Le Thanh Hoa - Deputy Director of the Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) - said: Vietnam's rice industry has undergone impressive development in recent decades. From an importing country, Vietnam has become the world's leading exporter, ranked by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as a country that ensures global food security.

In the 2024 rice crop, the country will have 7.09 million hectares, an average yield of 61.2 quintals/ha, and an output of 43.4 million tons. In the first 10 months of 2024, the value of Vietnamese rice exports to the Philippines increased by 59.1%, to Indonesia by 20.2%, and to Malaysia by 2.2 times. The role of brands in developing the rice industry is a factor that increases product value and competitiveness, linking the goal of sustainable development and increasing added value.

According to Mr. Le Thanh Hoa, developing rice brands in Vietnam has now brought results. Specifically, a number of Vietnamese rice enterprises have succeeded in building brands and establishing a foothold in the international market. Typical brands are Mr. Ho Quang Cua's ST25 rice. In particular, ST25 rice has brought pride to the Vietnamese agricultural sector when it won the title of "World's Best Rice".

The success of ST25 is a testament to the great potential of the Vietnamese rice industry, creating a premise for the Vietnamese rice industry to elevate its brand in the global market.

However, developing the Vietnamese rice brand still faces some difficulties, such as building trust in quality, lack of legal support in protecting international brands, and not focusing on the domestic market.

“It is necessary to improve product quality; build and develop rice brands and geographical indications; diversify exported rice products; develop value-added rice products; innovate technology in rice production; promote international trade promotion, and affirm brand position,” Mr. Hoa proposed 6 solutions to overcome and build the Vietnamese rice brand.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/xay-dung-thuong-hieu-gao-viet-co-lam-nhung-chua-toi-363585.html