Govt draws up list of 494 products for GI status

The government has prepared a list of 494 products to secure geographical indication (GI) recognition for them in order to safeguard the source of their origin, enhance their economic value at home and abroad, and fetch financial benefits for producers.

The Department of Patent, Designs and Trademark (DPDT), an agency under the industries ministry, wrote to all divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners and several organisations in the first week of June asking them to apply to register them as GI-certified products.

It said there are many products in various districts. If the registration is done, the commercial value of products will increase, and producers will benefit financially.

"Besides, the image of the country will be brightened in foreign trade," the letter said.

There is also a directive from the Prime Minister's Office to register at least one product as a GI in every district, the DPDT added.

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What is a GI recognition and why is it important?

Munim Hassan, director-general of the DPDT, said, "With the help of a non-government ‍organisation, we have collected field-level information about 494 products and made a list."

The NGO, the e-Commerce Development Center, is a non-profit trust and carries out research and surveys on local products and the e-commerce sector. It is also dedicated to increasing the number of GI-certified products, according to its website.

It has been decided that these products will be given GI recognition if applications are made and no objections are raised, Hassan said.

When the DC conference was held in March, the deputy commissioners were notified about the matter so that they take the issue seriously, he added.

The DPDT has so far granted GI status to 31 products. The official procedures to hand the status to three more products has been completed, and it is underway for another 15 products.

"If no one objects, about 20 more products will be recognised as GI by September," Hassan said.

In addition, the DPDT is examining the possibility of awarding such a status to 25 more products. It has a target to register 100 products as GI by December this year.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Mahbubur Rahman, deputy commissioner of Thakurgaon, said Surjapuri mango is grown only in the district. "We will apply for the GI recognition for the mango."

He said a lot of information and documents are needed to apply, and the information and document collection is also almost finished.

"We will send the application to the DPDT this week."

GIs are defined by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) as signs used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. GIs guarantee intellectual property rights and their legal protection.

In Bangladesh, the recognition is provided by the DPDT.

The government has become active in securing GI status for the products manufactured or grown in the country after it came under heavy criticism following India's granting of GI status to Tangail's saris and Sundarbans' honey although both products are closely linked to Bangladesh.

On January 4, the Tangail sari was registered as a GI product of India.  This led the Tangail district administration to apply for the GI recognition on February 6. The GI certificate for Tangail Sari was issued on April 25.

India's West Bengal Forest Development Corporation Ltd applied for the GI rights for Sundarbans' honey on July 12, 2021, and the tag was issued on January 2, 2024.

In Bangladesh, the rush to obtain the GI status for Sundarbans' honey only gathered steam following a social media post by the forest department on May 16. The world's largest mangrove forest is spread out between Bangladesh and India, with around 60 percent lying within the former's borders.

Furthermore, the DC of Bagerhat applied for the GI level for the honey seven years ago. The DPDT took the initiative to register it on June 30.

From 2016 to 2022, seventeen products have been recognised as GI. Another 14 products received the tag in the last eight months.