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The registration of intellectual property helps farmers get higher prices and expand the market. Picture: N.Hien

This is the issue posed at the workshop on protection of intellectual property rights of agricultural products in Vietnam organized by the Vietnam Farmers' Association and the Ministry of Science and Technology held in Ho Chi Minh City on October 31.

Price is twice as high Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Farmers' Association, Nguyen Hong Ly, said that over the past time, the construction of agricultural products has been paid attention to by some authorities and some producers. At the local level, after being registered for intellectual property, most products are sold at prices from 1.5 to 2 times higher, and with stable consumption. Representatives of local farmers' associations also said that the protection of trademarks for a number of agricultural products and local specialties has helped to limit the risks of price fluctuations and expand consumption markets, building trademark for agricultural products, contributing to increasing production efficiency and income. Particularly in the field of cultivation, Le Thanh Tung, Department of Cultivation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that Vietnam currently has about 800 rice varieties and exist in the production of about 100 varieties. Vietnam's rice products are also exported to 150 countries. Good cooperation will contribute to further stimulating the development of production, thereby increasing the value of rice in Vietnam.

The procedure should be simpler Although there are many benefits, many producers, businesses, organizations and localities have not paid much attention to the protection of intellectual property for agricultural products, and very few trademarks of Vietnamese agricultural products have gained prestige in the world. According to the survey of related agencies, the country has more than 800 prestigious agro-forestry products, but so far, there have been only about 50 geographical indications and about 140 trademarks, collective trademarks being registered for the establishment and protection of intellectual property rights, and only a few of them are registered for protection abroad such as Phu Quoc fish sauce, Ban Me Thuot coffee. Meanwhile, foreign registration is very important in protecting the market of Vietnamese agricultural products abroad.

Due to insufficient attention to the protection of intellectual property rights, some Vietnamese brands are abused or appropriated overseas, and as such, it takes time and costs to be reclaimed as in the cases of Phu Quoc fish sauce brand, Ban Me Thuot coffee. Sadly more, not less Vietnamese agricultural export products have adopted foreign brands. Products protected by the State have the name, origin, geographical indications, but they have not built the brand yet, no logos, labels, leading to a major disadvantage in competition. The story of famous brands of agricultural products of Vietnam in a number of markets around the world in recent times was the wake-up call to build and protect brands for agricultural products in Vietnam.

On the grounds of this situation, the opinion was that local authorities and farmers had not yet fully grasped the importance of establishing, registering the protection of industrial property rights over marks of agricultural products. Besides, the business skills, trade and marketing of the producers are not good, the efficiency of the enterprises in the agricultural sector is limited. The link between government, enterprises and people is not close, which leads to the cause of the situation of agricultural products to spontaneously develop without the management of the departments, affecting the substance quantity of agricultural products.

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Meanwhile, from the perspective of farmers, Prof. Dr. Vo Tong Xuan, Rector of the University of South Can Tho, said that the procedures for registration protection of agricultural products is quite cumbersome for everyday authors of a patent invention, who know only "sell for the land, sell back to heaven". Therefore, Prof. Dr. Vo Tong Xuan said that patent registration procedures should be simplified in the condition that many farmers create new plant varieties, but do not have enough finance and cultural qualifications to complete the registration procedures.

In addition, according to representatives of the Vietnam Farmers Association, it should link to create a strict and effective distribution network, helping agricultural products have stable output. Thereby, encouraging farmers to participate actively.