The PAN Group has been authorised to register ownership rights for the ST24 and ST25 rice varieties in foreign markets and protect related trademarks.

The Vietnam Trade Office in Australia has said it has taken measures to protect Vietnamese rice trademarks after an Australian firm registered for trademark protection of rice varieties ST24 and ST25.

The National Office of Intellectual Property (NOIP) says the ST25 rice variety has been granted a Protective Certificate No 21.VN.2020 under Decision No 45/QD-TT-VPBH dated March 6, 2020 by the director of the Department of Crop Production.

If certain legal entities in the US successfully register the ST25 rice brand, Ho Quang Cua, the real owner of the brand, will lose ownership and it will be very difficult to claim it back.

Vietnam may be one of the world’s top rice exporters, but its reputation as a low-quality producer and lack of an appealing national brand has ensured its exports do not fetch high prices.

The Philippines and China, Vietnam’s two major rice export markets, may reduce rice imports in 2020.

Vietnam’s rice export price is always low compared with other countries because consumer confidence in Vietnam’s rice quality is not high, experts say.

The Philippines and the Ivory Coast have outstripped China to become the two largest consumers of Vietnamese rice, according to figures released by the General Department of Vietnam Customs.