The National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam under the Ministry of Science and Technology recently granted Certificate of Protection No. 176420 for resin extracted from wax-trees planted in Phu Tho Province's Tam Nong District.
In the recent period, the planting of wax-trees expanded strongly in Tam Nong District. In the opinion of traders and painters, resin extracted from wax-trees has the best quality in Vietnam. Wax-tree resin has been used to restore two old statues at the Dau Pagoda, the Imperial Palace of Hue and many other historical relics. Although it has become famous for its high quality, resin extracted from wax-trees planted in Tam Nong still lacks a registered brand. To facilitate quality control and promote domestic sale and export of this product, the Phu Tho Department of Science and Technology has prepared and submitted to the Ministry of Science and Technology a project aiming to build, manage and develop a registered brand for Tam Nong District’s wax-tree resin.
Regarding to the actual situation of wax-tree development in Tam Nong, Nguyen Chi Thang, the vice president of the district's Scientific Council, said that under its wax-tree development plan, Tam Nong will harvest about 85 percent of its wax-tree area by 2015. In Tam Nong District, 12 communes have wax-tree plantations. Of those, Tho Van, Xuan Quang, Van Luong and Di Nau communes take the lead in planting this kind of tree with more than 500ha, of which 380ha are being harvested with yields totaling 130-140 tonnes. Currently, about 30 percent of resin extracted from wax-trees planted in Tam Nong is sold in Vietnam and the remainder, 70 percent, is exported to China and Japan (mostly via border trade channels).
The granting of Certificate of Protection No. 176420 for Tam Nong’s wax-tree resin will help the district expand planting and improve the position and competitiveness of this product in both domestic and foreign markets. It will help increase the value of the product, create higher incomes and improve the lives for wax-tree farmers. It has improved the awareness of farmers, businesses and customers about the value of the registered brand of Tam Nong’s wax-tree resin, contributing to the protection of farmer and consumer interests.
In the past, Tam Nong’s wax-tree resin could not be sold at high prices due to the lack of a registered brand. Today, the product is becoming firmly-positioned in the market. The district is disseminating new planting techniques in the four communes which take the lead in planting this kind of tree. At the same time, it is tightening the management of wax-tree planting to ensure quality and maintain the prestige of the registered brand. Phu Tho Province is seeking ways to promote contract-based export of wax-tree resin to increase farmer incomes and improve their lives./.
