Lack of branding for craft village products

(Baonghean) - Coming to some craft villages or tourist areas in the province, you will see people selling delicious and eye-catching local products such as shrimp paste, grilled mackerel, dried beef fish, etc. But there are absolutely no labels or packaging. That is not only a disadvantage for the seller but also does not guarantee the origin and food hygiene and safety. In fact, products that are carefully registered and well promoted will be more attractive to consumers.

In Nghe An, many products have been registered by enterprises and craft villages for exclusive trademarks, industrial designs, geographical indications... such as products: Quynh Di fish sauce, Van Phan fish sauce, Cua tiles (Tan Ky)...

Many people know Quynh Di fish sauce for its delicious quality and high protein content. With hundreds of production households, concentrated in two craft villages Phu Loi 1 and Phu Loi 2, but since the exclusive trademark has not been registered, Quynh Di fish sauce has had a limited market, mainly distributed in small retail in mountainous districts, roadside agents and has not been able to penetrate modern consumption channels such as supermarkets and restaurants. Since 2011, with the Intellectual Property Office (Ministry of Science and Technology) granting a protection certificate for the Quynh Di fish sauce brand, things have changed. The product is widely promoted and more and more customers know about the Quynh Di fish sauce brand, so the consumption is increasing.

In 2012, the craft village consumed 1.85 million liters, and by 2013, the consumption output increased to about 1.4 million liters. The large consumption leads to increasing income of the production households. Mr. Nguyen Duc Xan, Chairman of the Craft Village Association, said: Since the exclusive trademark registration, no household has violated the trademark issue, affecting the image and reputation of the craft village. People are very excited and motivated to increasingly promote and preserve the Quynh Di fish sauce brand.

Labeling Nam Dan soy sauce at Nam Dan town soy sauce craft village. Photo: Mai Hoa

Recognizing the value of trademark registration, the People's Committee of Nam Dan district is implementing a project to register protection for Nam Dan soy sauce products. Nam Dan soy sauce is a famous product traditionally produced only in the soy sauce craft village in Nam Dan town. The quality of soy sauce produced here has its own secret to create a delicious taste that cannot be found anywhere else, so it has been favored by consumers. However, because the exclusive trademark has not been registered, Nam Dan soy sauce products are increasingly being counterfeited, affecting the production activities of genuine businesses.

At the end of 2013, Nam Dan district coordinated with the Department of Science and Technology to implement a project to build a brand and register an exclusive trademark for Nam Dan soy sauce. “All the producers in the craft village are eager to register an exclusive trademark for Nam Dan soy sauce products. Because only then will the situation of equating quality and origin be limited and the brand be guaranteed, creating trust and motivation for people to produce,” said Mr. Duong.

In 2012, Nam Dan soy sauce was voted as a typical rural industrial product. Nam Dan soy sauce products are trusted by many people but are still mainly consumed through "acquaintance" channels and there is still no unit standing up to be the main distribution channel for the product. Mr. Pham Hai Duong, Head of Nam Dan soy sauce craft village, said: Currently, Sa Nam Cooperative has 23 production households, supplying the market with about 250 thousand liters each year, but the consumption stage is still each person taking care of their own without a stable connection. In particular, many products that do not originate from the craft village are still openly sold, the quality is not guaranteed, which has affected the image, reputation and consumption of the product. Because the craft village has not registered the exclusive trademark of Nam Dan soy sauce, the authorities cannot handle it.

The effectiveness of trademark registration for handicraft products and craft villages has been proven in practice, but currently there are still very few registered products. From 1995 to 2012, there were about 371 products registered for trademarks in the province, but the number of products from craft villages and handicrafts accounted for a low proportion. Craft villages have not yet built their own brands for many reasons, but mainly due to a lack of understanding of the meaning and value of craft village brands, and a lack of attention to investing in building product labels.

Because the products are mainly sold on the floating market or exported through intermediaries, many products of Nghe An craft villages must carry a different brand when entering the market. At this time, the value of the product is about 3-4 times higher than the original price. However, consumers do not know that these are products made from Nghe An craft villages. This is a common situation of most craft villages, leading to the failure to build a brand for the craft village, other craft villages mainly fall into the situation of exporting raw products, losing all their brands.

To continue promoting the enterprise branding program, in the coming time, the relevant agencies need to focus on promoting and guiding enterprises, production facilities, and craft villages to raise awareness of the economic values ​​and commercial benefits of branding and registering exclusive trademarks. Since 2009, the Provincial People's Committee has issued Decision No. 10/2009/QD-UBND on mechanisms and policies to encourage and support organizations and individuals to innovate technology and research and apply scientific and technological advances to improve the competitiveness of products in Nghe An.

Accordingly, 2 million VND will be supported for domestic trademark/design registration and 10 million VND abroad. In addition to the State's support, craft villages themselves must take action such as diversifying designs, training skilled workers to improve product quality, meeting market demands. Business owners and establishments need to step up trade promotion, participate in exhibitions and fairs to build brands. These are factors that help craft village products affirm product quality, better reach consumers.

Pham Bang