The European Commission’s Agriculture and Rural Development and the EU’s Delegation to Vietnam on Apr 22 held a seminar on Geographical Indications (GI) program, state media reported. The one-day event in Hanoi attracted participation of Vietnamese producers of agricultural products, including Phu Quoc fish sauce, Buon Ma Thuot coffee, Lang Son anise and Bao Lam persimmon, as well as European producers such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Arroz de Valencia and Champagne France. The seminar focused on the benefits of GI, which raises farm produce value and helps EU consumers recognize the origin products and protect products from counterfeit. Vietnam earns around $27 billion from farm produce exports annually in the last few years. However, few Vietnamese farm produce has GI labels, which means that local farmers can only earn small profits. (Nhan Dan – The People Apr 23 p2)
