The Kien Giang province will work with other provinces and cities toprevent and control illegal use of the geographical indication "PhuQuoc" for fish sauce, the provincial Department of Science andTechnology has said.
At a workshop on Protected Designation ofOrigin (PDO) for "Phu Quoc", Luong Thanh Hai, director of thedepartment, said the product was the first in any ASEAN country toobtain PDO protection in 28 EU-member countries, and the firstVietnamese geographical indication to be recognised and protected in theEU.
The achievement was obtained with the technical support ofthe EU-MUTRAP project and Vietnamese ministries and agencies, he said.
Withsuch protection, fish sauce (more specifically, "extract of fish")produced and bottled in Phu Quoc can be distributed under the Phu Quocname, he said.
This recognition ensures its authenticity andprevents the illegal presence of counterfeit and pirated products, saidClaudio Dordi, technical assistance team leader of the EU-MUTRAPproject.
In addition, the protection will enable Vietnamese producers to enjoy higher prices in the European market, he said.
However,many fish sauce products branded with the name Phu Quoc are availablein the market, and consumers cannot distinguish between the brands.
Withthe support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the EU delegationto Vietnam, the province has organised a Communication Week from July15-22 to disseminate information about PDO management and useregulations, and to raise awareness among stakeholders about PDO, Haisaid.
Dordi said that Phu Quoc fish sauce producers could face unfair competition from other producers who use the name illegally.
"Thequality of the input, final products and procedures should be strictlymonitored and everyone should comply with the regulations of the EU PDOregistration," he said.
"Producers, distributors and allstakeholders must be more active, especially in new markets. You must bevery careful to control and supervise the distribution market in the EUto discover whether there are products distributed in the EU using thename of Phu Quoc illegally," he continued.
"If you discover this,you must immediately contact the authority of the member state of theEU where the products are marketed," he said.
Regarding thedomestic market, Hai said illegal users of the geographical indication"Phu Quoc" fish sauce in Vietnam would be subject to punishmentbeginning next month.
According to Le Thi Tinh, Chairwoman of thePhu Quoc Fish Sauce Producers' Association, 20-25 million liters of PhuQuoc fish sauce are produced a year, of which 10-12 percent areexported to the EU.
At the workshop, fish sauce producers anddistributors asked authorities to create favourable conditions for themin the domestic market to promote sales of legally branded PDO Phu Quocfish sauce.-VNA
At a workshop on Protected Designation ofOrigin (PDO) for "Phu Quoc", Luong Thanh Hai, director of thedepartment, said the product was the first in any ASEAN country toobtain PDO protection in 28 EU-member countries, and the firstVietnamese geographical indication to be recognised and protected in theEU.
The achievement was obtained with the technical support ofthe EU-MUTRAP project and Vietnamese ministries and agencies, he said.
Withsuch protection, fish sauce (more specifically, "extract of fish")produced and bottled in Phu Quoc can be distributed under the Phu Quocname, he said.
This recognition ensures its authenticity andprevents the illegal presence of counterfeit and pirated products, saidClaudio Dordi, technical assistance team leader of the EU-MUTRAPproject.
In addition, the protection will enable Vietnamese producers to enjoy higher prices in the European market, he said.
However,many fish sauce products branded with the name Phu Quoc are availablein the market, and consumers cannot distinguish between the brands.
Withthe support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the EU delegationto Vietnam, the province has organised a Communication Week from July15-22 to disseminate information about PDO management and useregulations, and to raise awareness among stakeholders about PDO, Haisaid.
Dordi said that Phu Quoc fish sauce producers could face unfair competition from other producers who use the name illegally.
"Thequality of the input, final products and procedures should be strictlymonitored and everyone should comply with the regulations of the EU PDOregistration," he said.
"Producers, distributors and allstakeholders must be more active, especially in new markets. You must bevery careful to control and supervise the distribution market in the EUto discover whether there are products distributed in the EU using thename of Phu Quoc illegally," he continued.
"If you discover this,you must immediately contact the authority of the member state of theEU where the products are marketed," he said.
Regarding thedomestic market, Hai said illegal users of the geographical indication"Phu Quoc" fish sauce in Vietnam would be subject to punishmentbeginning next month.
According to Le Thi Tinh, Chairwoman of thePhu Quoc Fish Sauce Producers' Association, 20-25 million liters of PhuQuoc fish sauce are produced a year, of which 10-12 percent areexported to the EU.
At the workshop, fish sauce producers anddistributors asked authorities to create favourable conditions for themin the domestic market to promote sales of legally branded PDO Phu Quocfish sauce.-VNA
