Building agricultural brands

- The difference in climate and soil conditions creates a difference in flavor for agricultural products and specialties of Lang Son province. In recent times, many agricultural products and specialties of the province have been registered and protected for geographical indications (GIs), thereby not only affirming the brand, enhancing value but also promoting green production, protecting the environment and developing sustainable agriculture.

Farmers in Chi Lang commune practice pollination techniques for custard apples.

Mr. Tran Quoc Anh, Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology, said: In 2020, the Provincial People's Committee approved the project to implement the intellectual property strategy until 2030. To implement the project, the Department proposed that the Provincial People's Committee include the province's agricultural products and specialties in the intellectual property development program, select typical agricultural products to register and protect geographical indications. At the same time, regularly propagate to raise awareness among all classes of people about geographical indications as well as exploiting intellectual property...

The province currently has 6 products protected by GIs including: star anise, custard apple, black jelly, mac mat, Bao Lam seedless persimmon, and Van Thuy acanthopanax honey. In the period 2021-2025, 3 GIs have been and are being amended and the scope of protection expanded (star anise, seedless persimmon, acanthopanax honey). Since being protected by GIs, the province's agricultural products and specialties have increased in price and the market has expanded.

CDDL not only protects agricultural product brands but also guides producers to practice good agriculture , focusing on natural farming methods.

For example, with star anise, the whole province currently has more than 43,000 hectares of star anise. In 2007, star anise was protected as a GI and then continued to be protected in Europe and several other countries. Previously, star anise was mainly sold raw to the Chinese market at low prices, with unstable output. Since being protected as a GI, the value of star anise has increased by 20-30%, and the market has expanded to Japan, India and European countries. Not only used as a spice, star anise has been researched and deeply processed to produce essential oils, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Enterprises inside and outside the province have invested in building raw material areas and forming a closed production chain from cultivation, processing to export. Currently, the whole province is maintaining more than 700 hectares of organic star anise. From 2020 to present, the price of fresh star anise ranges from 30,000 to 50,000 VND/kg, the price of dried star anise ranges from 100,000 to 150,000 VND/kg, bringing an estimated value of about 1,700 billion VND/year.

Not only star anise, custard apple has also built a brand, becoming the province's main product. Custard apple is a fruit that ripens very quickly, so in the past, people were worried about finding an outlet every time it was harvested. Since being protected by the certification mark, and recently by the geographical indication, people have paid more attention to the cultivation process, good agricultural practices according to VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards, while also researching techniques to extend the harvest time, increase weight, and improve appearance. Thanks to that, the output for the product is increasingly stable, with traders coming to the garden to buy. Along with investing in packaging and labels, custard apple is now not only present in the countryside market but has become a popular fruit in supermarkets, bringing farmers hundreds of millions of dong in income each year; the total value is estimated at about 1,500 billion dong/year.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Cuong, Vice Chairman of Chi Lang Commune People's Committee, said: The whole Chi Lang commune currently has more than 1,400 hectares of custard apples, of which 500 hectares are cultivated according to VietGAP standards, 50 hectares are cultivated according to Global GAP standards; the output is about 13,000 tons/year. Establishing geographical indications for Lang Son custard apples is very important in protecting the rights and legitimate interests of consumers as well as producers; encouraging people to expand the cultivation area in the direction of good agricultural practices.

In addition, other agricultural products and specialties such as black jelly, Van Thuy acanthopanax honey, or mac mat, Bao Lam persimmon are also increasingly popular with consumers. From raw materials, black jelly is pre-processed and processed into many convenient forms, instant products with long shelf life and easy to transport. Mac mat fruit is dried, processed into soft-dried form, with labels and traceability stamps, participating in fairs inside and outside the province, attracting the attention of consumers. Bao Lam persimmons, which were previously mainly consumed in markets in the province, are now packaged and brought to supermarkets.

Mr. Hoang Van Phuong, Director of Van Thuy Beekeeping Cooperative, Chien Thang Commune, said: After being protected by geographical indications, Van Thuy Acanthopanax honey has a selling price 2-3 times higher than normal honey. Aiming to build a stable raw material area as well as expand production scale, cooperative members have proactively intercropped Acanthopanax under the forest canopy, initially planting about 2 hectares.

CDDL brings positive benefits, contributes to increasing product value, orients producers to practice good agriculture, towards sustainable development, friendly to the environment. Currently, the Department of Science and Technology is continuing to review and propose protection for more potential products, while promoting trade promotion, finding new consumption markets for agricultural products of the province.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/nong-san-lang-son-phat-trien-xanh-gan-voi-bao-ho-chi-dan-dia-ly-5058545.html