A member of Thuận Phú Tangerine Cooperative in Trà Vinh Province's Càng Long District takes care of a tangerine farm.

TRÀ VINH – The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Trà Vinh is making efforts to build the brands of two fruit specialties - Bình Phú tangerine and Tân Hòa organic coconut.

Trần Thị Thu Loan, Director of Trà Vinh SME Project Management Board, said that these are products approved by the provincial Department of Science and Technology, Department of Industry and Trade, Union of Cooperatives, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and unanimously selected to give the brand certifications, moving towards brand building.

Recently, the Intellectual Property Office of Việt Nam (IPO) has accepted an application for these two products, and it is expected that after 12-18 months, Bình Phú tangerine and Tân Hòa organic coconut of Trà Vinh will be certified.

The building of brands will help consumers trust and prioritize choosing these products. These specialties are expanding the consumption market, increasing profits for farmers, and thereby improving production efficiency. This is also the premise for Trà Vinh’s specialties to target export markets.

Thuận Phú Tangerine Cooperative in Càng Long District has 57 members growing Bình Phú tangerines on a total area of ​​42 hectares, of which, about 25 ha currently produce fruit, with an annual output of 200-300 tonnes.

Phan Thị Thuý Nga, director of Thuận Phú Tangerine Cooperative, said that most of the tangerines in this land are grown according to organic standards, using very limited chemical fertilisers. According to the long-term experience of local farmers growing mandarin oranges, to make tangerines succulent, sweet and not callous, these tangerine farms all use weaver ants to kill harmful natural enemies and mainly use organic fertilisers.

A famous specialty in Trà Vinh, the Bình Phú tangerine is not well-known to many consumers outside the province.

Nga said: “Hopefully, after being certified as a brand name, the value of Bình Phú tangerines will increase, output will be stable, and the income for local growers will increase. According to the plan, the cooperative will expand its production scale to 200 hectares.”

Trà Vinh SME Project is funded by the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade with a total investment of CAD12.1 million (US$9.8 million), including CAD11 million in non-refundable aid.

The objective of the project is to support the development and enhance the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises in the province. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

Previously, the project also supported the development of trademarks for Trà Cú Rice. This is the first rice product of Trà Vinh province to be granted a trademark certificate by the IPO. – VNS