Cashew growers to build brands

Viet Nam should develop and maintain trademarks for its cashew nut products to achieve higher international recognition and prestige, experts have said.

This would also help the domestic cashew industry expand its reach to new markets, they said at a seminar held in Binh Phuoc Province this week under the auspices of the first national cashew festival.

Bui Van Thach, deputy chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said it was necessary to develop local and national trademarks for the cashew industry to affirm its first rank in the world market.

Agreeing with Thach, Nguyen Quan, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, said high quality products and a prestigious trademark would affirm the industry’s development.

It would help foreign firms feel secure about Vietnamese cashew products, Quan said

he Intellectual Property Department under the Ministry of Science and Technology said the development of a reputed trademark would boost the image of enterprises, and attract new customers and investment capital.

It would make it easier to distribute the products, open new markets for exporters and cut marketing costs, it said.

Bui Van Quang from the HCM City Industrial University noted that to develop a trademark, businesses had to stabilise quality and supply of input materials and control product quality at the processing stage.

Domestic cashew businesses needed to invest in modern technology to diversify their products, increase productivity and lower their costs, he added.

Enterprises should also strengthen training for workers, especially to boost professional knowledge and improve selling skills to serve customers better and further meet the requirement of trademark development, speakers said.

Since quality played an important role in building the reputation of a trademark, scientists needed to research and come up with high quality varieties that are also highly productive, Quan said.

Beijing conference to form World Cashew Association

An important conference expected to adopt the final decision to establish the World Cashew Association will take place in Beijing on May 21 with the four founding members, the African Union, Brazil, India and Viet Nam.

During a meeting in Binh Phuoc Province on Monday, the chairman of the Viet Nam Cashew Association, Nguyen Thai Hoc, said the association would protect farmers and manufacturers’ rights and interests as well as the value of cashew products around the world.

It will also serve as a forum for members to exchange experiences and offer opportunities to further develop their cashew exports.

On May 21, the participants will also decide the location of WCA’s headquarters.

This is the third time the Viet Nam Cashew Association, the Cashew Export Promotion Council of India and the Brazilian Association of Cashew Nut Manufacturers, met to discuss the founding of the WCA. The first and second meeting took place in the US and Africa.

Nguyen Thai Hoc, Vice President of the Vietnam Cashew Association, said cashew processing companies must apply international-standard systems like BRC, HACCP, GMP, and ISO 14000 to gain a good reputation.

Co-operation between cashew farmers and cashew processing companies must be tightened to improve productivity and product quality, he said.

Ta Quang Minh, deputy head of the Intellectual Property Department, said registering trademarks and brands was necessary to protect them. This would have a strong impact on their business, he advised enterprises.

“As most Vietnamese enterprises are small- and medium-d enterprises, they will face severe competition from foreign enterprises. A well protected brand name will help them raise their “voice” in the market,” Minh said.

A brand name would also provide legal foundation to compete with fake products, protect the rights of manufacturers and consumers, and stabilise the export market, he added.

However, domestic cashew enterprises were not fully aware of the importance of brand name protection and registration, the seminar heard. For instance, in Binh Phuoc Province, just four cashew producers and processors have registered their brand names so far.

State management agencies should coordinate with relevant local departments to disseminate information on the role and impact of brand name protection among domestic cashew enterprises, Minh said.

Another meeting attracted some 300 cashew traders, intermediaries, exporters and importers, both local and foreign.

During the event, the organisers briefed the participants on State policies on developing the cashew sector, provided an overview of Viet Nam’s cashew trade relations and answered requests for information from interested customers.

At the conference, the cashew manufacturers, processors and exporters raised their concerns about the material shortage for the processing industry.

Currently, the country’s production factories had to import more than 300,000 tonnes of cashew per year from Asia and Africa.

The Viet Nam exporters still lack information about technical barriers to markets, among other issues.

The conference also called for close co-operation among cashew businesses, banks, scientists and farmers to produce products with high productivity that would help raise incomes of farmers and others.

Dao Quang Phu, Director of Kiet Viet Co., Ltd, said the Government needed to create the best conditions for the Vietnamese cashew businesses.

Together with the cashew development co-operation in Laos and Cambodia, the Viet Nam Cashew Association and businesses should eye Africa, he said, because of the suitable weather for cashew development.

Viet Nam could coordinate with African countries in growing cashews, or even build processing factories there to penetrate the market.

The event zas part of the Golden Cashew Festival, the first of its kind in the country, which kicked off on March 20 in Binh Phuoc.

VIETNAMNEWS

Tags: Vietnam cashew