Linking up to build agricultural product brands.

(Baonghean) - Brand building is synonymous with increasing the value and ensuring stable consumption of agricultural products. To achieve this, close cooperation and collaboration between the State, scientists, farmers, and businesses are essential. However, this remains a very weak link in the current process of agricultural production and value enhancement.

Its full potential has not yet been realized.

Oranges from Con Cuong being sold to customers (archive photo)

For many years, Quy Chau's Quy Chau Muscovy duck has been a well-known brand among consumers for its unique and delicious flavor. However, consumption still falls short of the product's quality. Mr. Nguyen Quang Quyen's family in Minh Tien village, Chau Hanh commune, owns a flock of over 500 Quy Chau Muscovy ducks.

As a native local breed, the Muscovy ducks have short necks and short legs, and are known for their delicious flavor. However, sales are sluggish due to difficulty competing on price.

"The meat of Quy Chau Muscovy ducks is distinctly yellower than other types of ducks and has a delicious aroma. In many places, sellers are deceptive, using the Quy Chau Muscovy duck brand to sell other types of ducks. The selling price here is already 150,000 VND/kg, so it's very difficult to sell them elsewhere; consumers find it hard to accept such a high price compared to other types of duck," Mr. Quyen shared.

The passion fruit farming model of Mr. Vi Thanh Xuan's family - Yen Son village, Tri Le commune, Que Phong district. Photo: Pham Bang.

Vinh oranges are also one of the popular products and have established a "brand" in the market. However, despite having successfully established a geographical indication nearly 20 years ago, the owners of the orange orchards are still worried about the market for their products because there is no unified label to prevent Vinh oranges from being counterfeited on the market.

Of the 4 hectares of orange trees planted, 1 hectare belonging to Mr. Vo Van Bang's family in Dong Trung hamlet, Dong Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district) is already yielding a harvest. However, he is still concerned and hopes that his orange product will be officially recognized to prevent counterfeiting.

Mr. Bang shared: "There are many types of oranges on the market, including oranges from China that flood in. Sellers keep advertising them as Vinh oranges, while consumers have no way to verify this, and orange growers don't have their own brand or label to protect their product."

These are just two of the many distinctive and specialty products among dozens of outstanding items from Nghe An. These products have only received recognition and have not yet established a firm foothold in the market.

Brand building partnerships

Dong Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district) has about 80 hectares of orange orchards with nearly 60 households, of which more than 20 hectares are already producing fruit. Since 2015, the commune has intended to establish an Association of Orange Growers, but after more than a year, that intention remains only a wish of those in charge.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Long, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune: "If an association is established, it will not only unify production methods to reduce environmental pollution through the use of bio-fertilizers, but also create conditions for stable and concentrated output. In particular, this association could create an organization to successfully build the Dong Thanh orange brand, but the people haven't shown interest yet because the product is already selling well."

Nghe An province has many distinctive agricultural products in large quantities and concentrated in certain areas. However, successful brand building, such as the Vinh orange geographical indication, the Nghe An tea collective brand, Cua Hoi fish sauce, and Quynh Luu pineapple, is rare. Among the more than 8,000 businesses with tax identification numbers in the province, only about 600 industrial property trademarks have been registered, mostly by large enterprises.

According to Mr. Tran Quoc Thanh, Director of the Department of Science and Technology, in order to build and protect brands successfully and sustainably, the State should only play a guiding, advisory, and supportive role in the area of ​​collaboration, rather than interfering too deeply.

In this context, the role of district-level authorities is particularly important, as this is the level of government that is most closely aware of the local situation. From there, they can identify specialty crops to guide the people, create production zones, and support businesses in building brands.

Phu Huong