Illustrative image (Photo: Internet) Hanoi (VNA) – The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestryand Fisheries (MAFF) on October 7 granted a Geographical Indication(GI) certification for dragon fruit grown in the south central province of Binh Thuan of Vietnam after three years the Binh Thuan Dragon Fruit Association had submitted the application for the status in Japan.
The protected status is hoped to be a "passport" for the trademark “Binh Thuan dragon fruit” to makeinroads into the Japanese market, and at the same time affirms the prestige ofthe product.
It is also expected to offer new opportunities to Binh Thuan to promote exportof dragon fruit to other markets, especially choosy markets such as Europe,the Republic of Korea, and New Zealand.
Dinh Huu Phi, General Director of the National Office of Intellectual Property under the Ministry ofScience and Technology, emphasised that the GI certificationfor Binh Thuan dragon fruit has contributed to increasing the value, competitivenessand export advantage for Vietnamese products.
According to Phi, the GI certificationallows Binh Thuan’s dragon fruit to gain a stronger foothold in the Japan market. This is also an important milestone, paving the way for the promotion of appying for the protected status for other Vietnam’s agricultural products in this fastidious market.
Binh Thuan is among the provinces producingthe most dragon fruit in Vietnam with an annual output of nearly 700,000tonnes.
Many dragon fruit co-operatives in the locality, such as Thuan Tien, Hoa Le,Hong Son, and Ham Tinh, were granted Collective Trademark by the NationalOffice of Intellectual Property of Vietnam.
Earlier, Thieu lychee grown in Luc Ngan district in the northern province of Bac Giang was granted a GI certificate from the MAFF./.
VNA
