PM stresses GI tagging of eligible products

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday instructed the authorities to prioritise securing Geographical Identification (GI) certification for qualified Bangladeshi products.

She made the directive while chairing the cabinet meeting held at her office in the capital.

The issue of GI products came up for discussion in the meeting, said Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain during a post-meeting press briefing at the Bangladesh Secretariat.

"The Prime Minister asked all to be active and take initiatives about the GI certification of products," he said.

He said that journals have been published recognising Tangail Saree, Gopalganj rasgolla and Narsingdi Amrita Sagar bananas as GI products of Bangladesh. Copies of those were given to the Prime Minister.

In response to a query regarding the Indian government's GI certification for the Tangail Saree, Mahbub stated that a designated international organisation exists to address such conflicts.

He further clarified that, as per instructions, any similar concerns regarding the product would be presented to this organisation.

The issue regarding the Tangail Saree surfaced after an Indian ministry made a post announcing the country's GI recognition of the product as their own. The Indian ministry claimed that the Tangail Saree originated in West Bengal.

On 8 February, the Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (DPDT) under the Ministry of Industries published a journal recognising Tangail Saree as a GI product, highlighting the history, tradition, weaving method and uniqueness of the saree.

Bangladesh boasts a current tally of 21 registered GI products, with an additional 14 applications pending approval at DPDT.