Strong Protection
Vietnamese Phu Quoc fish sauce will be protected in the European market
Phu Quoc Island has long been famous for its fish
sauce trade. Every year, the island produces 10
million liters of fish sauce, of which 500,000 liters is
exported. According to an official from the local
agriculture, forestry and fisheries department, Phu
Quoc has over 2,000 sampans and boats for
fishing, hauling in 60,000 tons of fisheries products
a year, one-third of which is long-jawed anchovy.
This kind of fish in Phu Quoc is a good ingredient
to make delicious fish sauce. There are 90 fish
sauce production establishments on the island,
producing 10 million liters annually.
Some 500,000 liters is exported and the rest is consumed locally. Two
major fish sauce exporters are Hung Thanh Private Enterprise and Thanh
Ha Co. Ltd.
Dang Van Thoi, owner of Hung Thanh, says his family has been producing
fish sauce since 1895. The fish sauce was exported to Western Europe and
America in 1969 but the export was suspended after 1975. With great efforts
to resume links with old partners, Hung Thanh was able to revive the trade
in 1984 with exports to Western Europe, America, Australia, Canada and
Japan. After strict inspections, its product was granted the EU Code NM138,
a kind of food hygiene certificate by European standards, by the Ministry of
Fisheries and the EU in 1996. The recognition helped boost sales in the
European market. Last year, Hung Thanh exported 250,000 liters, including
150,000 liters to the EU. Taking advantage of the strong prestige of Phu
Quoc fish sauce in the European market, some Thai fish sauce producers
have used the Phu Quoc trademark to export their product to this market.
According to exporters, 80% of the Phu Quoc fish sauce in the European
market is counterfeit Thai product.
Hung Thanh' second largest export market is Japan where its product
again faces Thailand's Phu Quoc fish sauce. Although Japanese
consumers are very selective, many Japanese businesses began to turn
from Thai fish sauce to Hung Thanh in November 1995 after examinations
found that it was not harmful to health. Hung Thanh export fish sauce has a
protein content of 30-35o and the price is US$0.90 a liter, Saigon Port,
double the price in Phu Quoc.
According to Nguyen Thi Tinh, chairwoman of the Phu Quoc Fish Sauce
Producers Association, on June 1, 2001, the Industrial Property Bureau
(Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment) granted a decision on
registration of the appellation of origin for Phu Quoc fish sauce. However,
domestic protection of Phu Quoc fish sauce has not yet institutionalized.
"We are formulating a regulation for Phu Quoc fish sauce control for
submission to competent authorities. After the regulation is approved, we
will ask a foreign law firm to register for protection of Phu Quoc fish sauce in
the EU," Tinh said.
Vietnam and France have reached a preliminary
agreement for the protection under which France will protect the sauce on
its market and the whole EU. In return, Vietnam will protect its Cognac liquor
here.
If the protection of Phu Quoc fish sauce is enforced in the EU, other kinds of
fish sauce bearing the Phu Quoc trademark on this market will be strictly
inspected by concerned authorities like the customs and economic police.
Fake Phu Quoc fish sauce will be seized and fined, and genuine Phu Quoc
sauce will gain more market shares.
Vietnamese goods need name protection
The recognition and protection of appellations of origin in Vietnam is
stipulated in the Civil Code but so far no authorities have enforced
protection for any famous Vietnamese products. Their efforts have only
gone to protection of industrial property rights and trademarks. This
situation is unbeneficial to Vietnamese businesses, especially producers
of products that are famous thanks to the names of a well-known area.
Many famous Vietnamese products are facing imitations in foreign markets
such as Phu Quoc fish sauce, Moc Chau shan tea, Buon Ma Thuot coffee,
Hung Yen longans and Hai Hau fragrant rice. Therefore, the recent
recognition of the appellation of origin of Phu Quoc fish sauce in France and
the EU is not only good news for Phu Quoc fish sauce producers but also
marks a milestone in the protection of the quality and fame of Vietnamese
goods in the local and foreign markets.
According to French experts, the recognition of the appellation of origin of
famous products typical of Vietnam will boost the protection of these
products in the EU market.
By Duong Tuong Linh - The Saigon Times Weekly - June 08, 2002.
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