Expedite GI registration to help branding country’s products [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Expedite GI registration to help branding country’s products

Local August 21, 2015

Experts on Thursday said expediting the registration process of geographical indication of goods was needed for branding Bangladesh and getting an improved access for the products.
At a seminar on Geographical Indication of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act-2013: significance of GI, implementation challenges and needed initiatives, they said GI registration of goods would also ensure premium in pricing of products.
Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute jointly organised the seminar at the DCCI auditorium in the capital.
Experts said registered associations of producers and users, government entities could apply to the Department of Patent, Design and Trademarks under the industries ministry for GI registration.
A study conducted by the BFTI and presented at the seminar found that producers might get maximum 30 per cent more price for a GI-registered product as it provides improved market access and consumer confidence for the product.
GI-registered products also help to attract foreign direct investment in the country, the report said.
The study, conducted by Mohammad Abu Yusuf, a customs specialist of Bangladesh Trade Facilitation Activity of USAID, and Seikh Ruksana Burhan, a research associate of the BFTI, also identified 40 potential GI products of Bangladesh.
The products include jamdani, nakshikatha, Mirpur katan, Borga’s curd, ras malai, hilsa of Padma, fazlee mango, lengra mango, katharivog rice, litchi of Dinajpur, silk of Rajshahi and honey of the Sundarbans.
There are many more products in the country to be qualified for GI registration, the study said adding that the private sector and the government should identify those products.
‘Speedy implementation of GI law will help Bangladeshi products to get improved market access, premium price and establish Bangladesh brand in abroad and ensure ownership of local unique products and fair competition in the international market,’ Yusuf said.
He said that the government should enact the GI rules immediately to facilitate producers and government entities in registering GI products.
India has already registered 236 GI products including jamdani, makshikantha and fazlee aam (mango), he said.
He suggested that the government should take necessary preparations including delimitation of geographical areas for each possible GI product and accumulation of historical records, specific quality and specification of products for registration.
Commerce minister Tofail Ahmed said Bangladesh should include some of its unique products such as jamdani, different kinds of mangos, apparel products, jute bag, aromatic rice as GI products for ensuring branding Bangladesh abroad.
He also emphasised on identifying the GI products at the district level saying that GI registration would also increase the price of products.
DCCI president Hossain Khaled said, ‘We have to start registration process of country’s traditional products as soon as possible.’
GI ensures value addition to the specific product, he said.
BFTI chief executive officer Ali Ahmed said that producers would have to focus on product quality and packaging of GI products.
DPDT deputy registrar Iliyas Hossain Bhuiyan, Dhaka University law department associate professor Towhidul Islam, Centre for Policy Dialogue research associate Umme Shefa Rezbana, DCCI former vice-president Kh Shahidul Islam, directors AKD Khair Mohammad Khan and Muktar Hossain Chowdhury, commerce ministry additional secretary Monoj Kumar Roy and former commerce secretary Sohel Ahmed Chowdhury spoke, among others.