ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka could extend Geographical Indications to iconic food like king coconuts as well handicrafts, officials said after the island certified Cinnamon and Ceylon tea under an international system to ensure their origin and authenticity.
The process of getting Ceylon Tea under GI was completed after a four year process with a million Euro grant from Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the French aid agency.
Ceylon Cinnamon was the first GI certified product from Sri Lanka backed by the UNIDO and EU.
“Following the success of Ceylon Tea and also Cinnamon, which received the first GI of the country, today studies on King Coconut and Cashew are underway and many other agricultural and handicraft products could also benefit from GI protection,” Yazid Bensaïd, Country Director for Sri Lanka, at AFD said.
“GI guarantees authenticity and quality, linking the reputation of the product to its place of origin.”
In India, Kashmiri Pashmina and Kancheepuram Silk have been GI tagged. Sri Lanka also has traditional craft including Dumbara mats, brass works and face masks.
Establishing GI certifications, with traceability and agreed quality standards is a complex process involving producers and other stakeholders.
“This work has been successful through strong local commitments, strong stakeholder dialogue and shared motivation,” Delphine Marie-Vivien, Researcher-in-Law at Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) of France said after completing the process of establishing the Geographic Indication for Ceylon Tea.
“Around the world, there are many local products with potential to be protected as geographical indications. But only those with organized and determined producers really thrive.”
“At the core of CIRAD approach, our technical expertise is really to elaborate Geographical Indications with a participatory methodology,” she said.
“And it’s very important to define together the rules that will safeguard the name and its reputation.”
RELATED : Sri Lanka to combat fake Ceylon Tea with GI certification, get better prices
The AFD had provided 27 million Euros since 2003 to provide GI certify 20 products, especially in Asia and Africa, Bensaïd said.
The products backed by AFD included Boloven coffee in Laos, Kampot pepper in Cambodia and Cameroon black pepper.
The products are grown or are manufactured in a special way with special knowledge, and GI protections benefit the community linked to the product. (Colombo/Oct20/20250
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