Bangladesh yet to benefit from GI-certified products

Bangladesh is yet to derive any benefit from the products granted the status of geographical indication (GI) due to a lack of initiatives from stakeholders although the recognition enhances the reputation of goods, builds consumer confidence and brings in higher prices.

The country has already registered 21 products as GIs since the formulation of the Geographical Indication (Registration and Protection) Act 2013.

Besides, it has awarded the same status to 10 more products in just eight days since February 8 after the culture ministry of India shared the news that it had secured the GI rights to Tangail sari, sparking criticism around Bangladesh and raising questions about the country's failure to get GI recognition despite being a rightful claimant to the traditional handwoven attire.

Many consumers pay close attention to origin of the products they buy. And when the source and authenticity matter, using GI can identify products as being the real deal, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Among other benefits, GI status helps fetch higher prices compared to similar products manufactured elsewhere, according to local experts.

However, Bangladesh has not reaped any benefit from the GI-tagged products such as Jamdani, Muslin of Dhaka and Hilsa as the label has not been used to promote them due to a collective failure of the stakeholders, including concerned ministries, departments, trade bodies and businesses, they said.

"The prices of GI-certified products are usually 20 to 30 percent higher in the global market compared to similar products without such labels," said Mohammad Ataul Karim, a PhD researcher in intellectual property law at the University of Oxford.

"Global customers are willing pay extra for GI products."

GI marks a product's authenticity and origin and the sign is used to certify that a product possesses unique characteristics for factors such as origin, climate, culture, manufacturing method, or even raw materials.

According to experts, stakeholders should design logo and packaging materials for the GI products first. Then they should enlist the products with buyers' association and other trade bodies and move to promote, brand and market them.

However, none of the steps has been initiated yet, said an official of the Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (DPDT), the authority under the industries ministry authorised to grant GI certification.

The agency provided the certification to Jamdani, a fine muslin textile mostly used for making saris in Narayanganj for centuries, in 2015 following an application from the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC). This was the first such recognition in the country.

According to BSCIC officials, no Jamdani sari has been tagged with GI yet. The situation is similar for Rangpur's Shotronji, which was certified as GI in 2019.

Akhil Ranjan Tarafder, general manager for marketing at the BSCIC, said the BSCIC is designing the logo and packaging for GI of Shotronji in cooperation with the DPDT.

"Besides, we have taken the initiative to train Jamdani sari producers to export GI-tagged products. We are working with the DPDT to this end."

Hilsa fish received GI recognition in 2017 while black tiger shrimp secured the status in 2022 following applications from the Department of Fisheries.

"So far, no traders have sold hilsa or black tiger shrimp with GI labels," said Md Zillur Rahman, additional director general of the Department of Fisheries.

Karim, also a consultant of the WIPO, said although the DPDT is responsible for registering GI products, it is the responsibility of the commerce and industries ministries as well as various other stakeholders, including trade bodies, businesses and producers, to promote the products.

Besides, he said, a lack of capacity for producers, the financial constraints they face, and sometimes substandard products are also to be blamed for the failure to reap benefit from GI products.

"Overall, we have not been able to deal with the GI issue properly."

The Bangladesh Handloom Board won the GI recognition for Muslin of Dhaka in 2020 but the commercial production of the GI-tagged fabric has not started yet, said an official of the state-run agency.

"Commercial benefits will be available once the private sector starts using the GI tag since there is a lot of demand for Muslin in the international market," he added.

Among the agriculture products, four mango varieties -- Ashwina, Langra, Fazli and Khirsapat (also known as Himsagar) – obtained GI status in 2017.

However, not a single GI-tagged mango has been exported from Bangladesh yet, said Shafiqul Islam, principal scientific officer of the Rajshahi Fruit Research Station.

Md Munim Hassan, director-general of the DPDT, said he could not comment on the promotion, branding and marketing of GI products. "Other stakeholders can talk about these."

Zakia Sultana, senior secretary of the industries ministry, said the ministry is taking steps to register the products that have the potential to be recognised as GIs.

"After that, we will move to reap commercial and other benefits of the products."