Who 'magically' transformed Chinese oranges into Vinh oranges?

(Baonghean)- From March to August every year, Vinh oranges are not yet harvested, but many stalls are still full of them, including oranges imported from China but always introduced as Vinh oranges to make a profit.Every day at about 2-3 am, there are 4-5 trucks carrying Chinese oranges to Vinh market for consumption.

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Market chaos

The chaotic output market for orange products is a common pressing issue that we have recorded in orange areas in the province. Many orange growers in orange areas in Quy Hop, Con Cuong, Yen Thanh, Dinh Son (Anh Son) ... expressed this because in reality, many small traders participating in the trading and distribution of Vinh oranges have made a profit by mixing in low-quality, low-value oranges.

Orange growers also confirmed that from March to August every year, there will be no Vinh oranges, but many stalls in the province still import oranges from other regions, including oranges imported from China, but always introduce them as Vinh oranges for sale.

People of Dinh Son commune, Anh Son district take care of orange garden.

Mr. Trinh Xuan Giao - owner of a large orange farm in Dong Thanh commune (Yen Thanh) wrote on his Facebook about the situation of counterfeit Vinh oranges as follows: "Currently, in Nghe An market, in addition to Vinh oranges (grown in Quy Hop, Nghia Dan, Yen Thanh districts...), there are also Cao Phong, Ha Giang, and Chinese oranges.

Among them, Chinese oranges lead with the largest consumption quantity (estimated at 30 - 40 tons/day) because of their cheap price, diverse designs and quality"; "every day at about 2 - 3 am, there are 4 - 5 trucks carrying Chinese oranges to Vinh market for consumption.

They have all the necessary import documents, but the worrying thing is that after being put on the shelves or shipped to other places, the Chinese oranges are no longer Chinese oranges. Customers often confuse them with Vinh oranges in general because Chinese oranges have changed their appearance to the point that consumers cannot tell the difference! I myself have been growing oranges for 12 years, but when faced with Chinese oranges, I am helpless. Only the sellers know clearly!”

In fact, the warnings of orange growers like Mr. Trinh Xuan Giao are true. In the centers, “heaven and earth”, and kiosks, every store hangs signs for Vinh oranges, Quy Hop oranges… but there is nothing to base it on. Meanwhile, market management officials admit that Chinese agricultural products, including oranges, are still present in Nghe An!

Or every year in May - July, traveling on National Highway 48, passing through the towns of Tuan, Nghia Thuan..., National Highway 7, passing through Dinh Son commune (Anh Son), Bong Khe (Con Cuong), although it is not the right season, you can still see a lot of oranges for sale. The orange color is still bright yellow, the fruit is even, and the leaves are still green.

Chinese oranges have bright, shiny colors and smooth skin.

Deputy Director of Xuan Thanh Agricultural Company Limited - Mr. Le Viet Minh confirmed: "In May - June, Quy Hop could not produce a single orange even if you "fortune-tell" it. The oranges that people sell along the road are 100% Chinese oranges", and he exclaimed: "For a small profit, they use all kinds of tricks to deceive consumers. Doing so is no different from "throwing stones" at the Vinh orange brand!".

Faced with the situation of "imitation" and "fake" goods, simple orange farmers like Mrs. Phan Thi Tam in Pha village, Yen Khe commune (Con Cuong) are also very upset: "Every year, traders come to buy in very large quantities, but now they only choose to buy in small quantities. They say that they only buy a small amount from the garden, and will mix oranges from other places to sell, that way they can make a profit."

Or as the households growing Bai Phu oranges in Dinh Son commune (Anh Son) confirmed, there are many poor quality oranges sold along National Highway 7, especially at stalls with signs like "Clean Bai Phu orange garden - Premium quality". They do not produce oranges but buy them from other localities to sell, hanging signs just to "deceive" consumers.

The risk of "losing" in brand competition

Taking us on a tour of an orange garden of more than 0.7 hectares full of fruit, although confident of a bumper crop, Mr. Kieu Quang Vinh in Minh Hop commune (Quy Hop) realized that Cao Phong oranges from Hoa Binh province are a real competitor of Vinh oranges.

“It is certain that after two consecutive years, Cao Phong oranges have been promoted in the form of district-level and then provincial-level festivals, which has threatened the pride of Vinh oranges,” said Mr. Vinh, analyzing: “We can do well in planting, caring for, and protecting oranges thanks to the experience accumulated over the years. However, we have not been able to promote orange products widely. We are in dire need of support from the Orange Growers Association as well as guidance from authorities at all levels.”

The head of Tan Thanh Cooperative, Mr. Duong Minh Tan, said that Vinh oranges are outstanding in every aspect, from appearance to quality. However, the issue of promoting products and brands in the market to ensure high competitiveness and sustainability for Vinh oranges is still too weak.

“This is also the reason why 9 orange growers in Minh Hop decided to establish an orange cooperative. Together, we carry out the same production process, producing an orange product with guaranteed quality. We have registered a private orange brand “Tan Thanh” to find new, healthy competition in the market.”

Vinh oranges have become a unique brand of Nghe An.

Associations, managers in trouble?

According to Mr. Hoang Minh - Director of Xuan Thanh Agricultural Company Limited, Chairman of Vinh Orange Association, the concerns and worries of producers are based on reality. The area of ​​oranges in the whole province is about 4,000 hectares, supplying tens of thousands of tons to the market every year, but the main decision is made by traders. There are very few agents selling Vinh oranges in the province and major centers nationwide. The current labeling of oranges is also not of interest to producers.

This limitation is partly due to consumers and producers, but also partly due to the association's limited responsibility in managing and operating its members.

A really worrying shortcoming is that the Vinh Orange Association was established in 2010, but has not yet had specific regulations on functions, tasks and operating mechanisms and has not been improved annually.

Chairman of Quy Hop District People's Committee - Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tung, said: Determining the important role of orange trees in economic development, Quy Hop has built resolutions and projects for implementation. However, to protect the market, to prevent counterfeiting and mixing Vinh oranges with other types of oranges, the district is facing difficulties.

At the Vinh orange conference in early September 2016, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tung said: “We were informed by people that many households in Quy Hop brought oranges from other places to sell, but we cannot yet determine the responsibility for selling fake brands, because there are no labels or specific registrations. On Ho Chi Minh road today, people sell many types of oranges and all are labeled as Quy Hop oranges, but looking at them to catch violations is impossible!”

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NPV