Building brands for agricultural products

Phu Tho Province holds great potential for agricultural development, with a variety of high-value crops and livestock. However, the province’s agricultural products have yet to establish strong brand identities, resulting in economic returns that fall short of expectations. As such, building brands for agricultural products remains a challenging yet essential task in the effort to enhance the value and market competitiveness of Dat To’s agricultural offerings.

Gia Thanh seedless persimmons from Phu Ninh District have successfully built a brand, increasing farmers’ incomes.

Building a Brand — Affirming Product Quality

Every year, around mid-July of the lunar calendar, Gia Thanh Commune in Phu Ninh District becomes vibrant with traders and visitors flocking to buy seedless persimmons as gifts or for personal use. Thanks to brand recognition, local growers are no longer concerned about output. Instead, they are confidently investing in garden upgrades, expanding their cultivation areas, and applying advanced farming techniques to improve both yield and fruit quality.

Mr. Han Van Khanh, Director of the Gia Thanh Persimmon Cooperative, shared, “In 2017, the People’s Committee of Phu Ninh District launched a project to create, manage, and develop the collective brand 'Gia Thanh seedless persimmon.' In 2019, the Department of Intellectual Property under the Ministry of Science and Technology officially granted the brand certificate. The brand was then licensed for use by cooperative members. Since receiving the certification, the cooperative has invested in labeling and packaging with full traceability information, helping consumers distinguish authentic products from counterfeits and shop with confidence.”

In addition to Gia Thanh persimmons, several other agricultural products in the province—such as green tea, Doan Hung pomelos, bananas from Dan Quyen Commune in Tam Nong District, and safe vegetables from Lam Thao District—are gradually developing brand identities and gaining a foothold among consumers. Once granted brand or trademark certifications, these products saw a 15–20% increase in value compared to the period prior to branding.

According to agricultural experts, brand-building is key to helping local products become more competitive in the market. Through the branding process, farmers improve their knowledge of agriculture, rural development, cultivation techniques, seed selection, product preservation, marketing, sales management, and the registration of intellectual property—including trademarks, collective marks, and geographical indications—to avoid violations. Branding also helps protect and develop unique, region-specific products while attracting tourists and promoting local identity.

Clearly, brand development is crucial for agricultural products to establish a solid presence in the market and increase economic returns. Alongside provincial-level strategies, many localities have introduced their own policies to support brand building, ensuring that agricultural products can stand out and assert their market position.

Currently, the One Commune, One Product (OCOP) program is being implemented successfully across many localities in the province. This program enables the creation of concentrated commodity production zones, encourages investment in product quality, and facilitates value chain linkages—thereby raising the value of agricultural goods and expanding their market reach.

With a well-established brand, the Tu Xa Safe Vegetable Cooperative in Lam Thao District has successfully brought its products into supermarket chains, raising member incomes.

Focusing on Sustainable Development

Despite progress, brand building and protection still face numerous challenges. The limited application of science and technology in agricultural production, inadequate post-harvest systems, and lack of investment in marketing and market research are significant obstacles to branding strategies. Furthermore, funding for brand development activities is often reliant on trade promotion programs or tied to projects in other sectors. Businesses involved in agricultural purchasing at the local level are generally not proactive in building or developing brands.

Most agricultural production in the province remains small-scale, with insufficient control over breeding sources. Farming is largely based on experience and local customs, while harvesting, processing, and preservation technologies are still rudimentary. Scientific application in both production and processing is minimal, resulting in inconsistent product quality. Many products bearing collective trademarks are judged mainly by appearance, taste, and other sensory criteria, making it difficult to standardize or quantify quality.

Comrade Nguyen Thanh Hiep, Deputy Head of the Department of Rural Development, stated, “In the time ahead, our department will continue working with other agencies and localities to build distinctive agricultural product brands for each region, in connection with the OCOP program. We will also coordinate with relevant units to organize fairs promoting products with collective trademarks, helping businesses partner with cooperatives to distribute products domestically and explore export opportunities.”

Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture and Environment will continue to raise awareness among farmers about the importance and benefits of brand building and trademark registration. These efforts aim to standardize product quality, meet food safety requirements, and promote the development of safe, sustainable food supply chains tied to zoned production areas. The department will also support trade promotion activities, help find stable markets for safe food products, and provide assistance in branding for specialty agricultural goods—laying a strong foundation for advancing toward modern agriculture and international integration.

Moreover, it is essential to have policies supporting economic entities in product improvement, focusing on technology upgrades, technical innovations, and expanding raw material zones. Emphasis should also be placed on identifying products with local strengths and encouraging new product ideas based on scientific and technological applications—particularly in deep processing and traditional specialties.

Enhancing the effectiveness of domestic trade promotion and strengthening export-oriented efforts are also important. In particular, applying information technology in trade promotion and actively promoting products on e-commerce platforms—especially those specializing in agricultural goods—will create strong growth opportunities for the agricultural sector. This will not only help Vietnamese agricultural products strengthen their brand presence but also unlock long-term development potential. Ultimately, it will raise product value while fostering transformative changes in the province’s agricultural production, consumption, and overall development.

Phan Cuong