Building, managing and developing the "Yen Hoa Celery" Certification Label for celery products of Yen Hoa commune, Yen Mo district, Ninh Binh province

With favorable natural conditions and the cultivation experience of local people, water celery has long been a key agricultural product of Yen Hoa commune, Yen Mo district, Ninh Binh province. In order to enhance the value and build a brand for the product, the People's Committee of Ninh Binh province has approved the scientific and technological task of "Building, managing and developing the "Yen Hoa Water Celery" certification mark for water celery products of Yen Hoa commune, Yen Mo district, Ninh Binh province" according to Decision No. 530/QD-UBND dated June 10, 2022. After more than 2 years of implementing this task, the "Yen Hoa Water Celery" certification mark has been successfully built.

Building, managing and developing Certification Marks

The logo of NHCN "Rau celery Yen Hoa" was selected to register for protection at the Intellectual Property Office.

Lesson 1: The process of building the "Yen Hoa Celery" certification label

In order to collect and synthesize necessary information for the process of registering the certification trademark (NHCN) "Yen Hoa Celery", the Center for Technology Research and Intellectual Property CIPTEK (the unit in charge of implementing the task) has conducted an investigation and survey on the reputation, quality and current business and consumption status of Yen Hoa Celery products. Next, the People's Committee of Yen Mo district was allowed by the People's Committee of Ninh Binh province to use the place name "Yen Hoa - Yen Mo" to register the NHCN and organize the management of the NHCN after being protected, according to Decision No. 72/QD-UBND dated January 31, 2024.

During the registration dossier preparation phase, CIPTEK Center also coordinated with Yen Mo District People's Committee and Ninh Binh Province Department of Science and Technology to develop, collect opinions and complete the NHCN logo model, Map of geographical area of production of products bearing NHCN and Regulations on use of NHCN in accordance with the provisions of law.

By October 12, 2023, the application for the trademark "Rau celery Yen Hoa" was submitted to the National Office of Intellectual Property - Ministry of Science and Technology (NOIP) under application number 4-2023-45950. By March 25, 2024, the application was accepted as valid under Decision No. 32927/QD-SHTT of the NOIP. By September 11, 2024, the NOIP granted a Certificate of Trademark Registration for the trademark "Rau celery Yen Hoa" under Decision No. 107159/QD-SHTT, officially recognizing the industrial property rights for this trademark throughout the territory of Vietnam.

Accordingly, the owner of the NHCN is the People's Committee of Yen Mo district; the list of products and services bearing the trademark includes fresh celery products and fresh celery trading services; the protection validity of the NHCN is 10 years from October 12, 2023 and can be renewed an unlimited number of times, each time for an additional 10 years.

Certificate of registration of the trademark "Yen Hoa Celery".

According to the Regulations on the use of NHCN issued by the People's Committee of Yen Mo district under Decision No. 6608/QD-UBND dated September 21, 2023 and amended by Decision No. 562/QD-UBND dated February 21, 2024, celery products bearing NHCN must originate from Yen Hoa commune, Yen Mo district, Ninh Binh province. In addition, it is necessary to meet the criteria on product quality in terms of appearance and physical and chemical composition such as: Bunch height: from 40 - 80 cm, small stem (stalk), light green to white color, crispness, characteristic aroma, fresh leaves, not wilted, not crushed, not infected with pests...; water content: ≥ 70%, cellulose content: 1.49 - 1.84%, vitamin C content: 16.6 - 25.2 mg/kg, ensuring food safety according to current regulations.

The successful protection of the trademark "Yen Hoa Celery" has many important meanings. Firstly, the trademark contributes to building the agricultural product brand in general of Yen Mo district and Ninh Binh province. Secondly, the trademark is an effective legal tool to control the quality and origin of products when distributed to the market. Thirdly, the trademark creates more favorable conditions for local management agencies as well as producers and traders to effectively carry out promotional activities and trade promotion for products. Fourthly, the trademark helps ensure the rights of consumers in recognizing and choosing to use products of correct origin and quality.

This is a step to create a solid foundation for the "Yen Hoa Celery" brand to continue to maintain and develop further in the domestic market, bringing higher profits to local people.