Ly Son garlic given geographical indication

Ly Son Island garlic has been given a geographical indicator in order to protect the farmers' rights.

Harvesting garlic in Ly Son

On July 1, Dang Tan Thanh, vice chairman of Ly Son People's Committee, said they had just received the certification issued by the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam, under the Ministry of Science and Technology. Ly Son People's Committee will be the organise management of geographical indications.

"This serves as a legal base for the authorities to protect the farmers, deal with trade disputes and fake products," Thanh said.

Ly Son has 300ha of agricultural lands, mostly are used to grow garlic and onion. Each year, about 2,000 tonnes of dried garlic from Ly Son is released to the market.

Ly Son garlic is nicknamed 'white gold' by local people due to its quality and economic value. However, it has also suffered from falling prices due to fake goods in the past.