Hilsa to get GI registration

Hilsa, known as ‘Ilish’, is set to get registration as the Geographical Indication (GI) product of Bangladesh.

Director General of Department of Fisheries Dr Syed Arif Azad on Sunday submitted a formal application to the Ministry of Industries, seeking the GI registration for the national fish, said an official handout.

Receiving the application, Md. Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Industries, said that the government had recently taken some major steps to protect the intellectual property and rights on GI goods.

‘With support from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), necessary rules and regulations have also been formulated for ensuring registration of GI products and rights on them,’ Bhuiyan said.

Hilsa will be the second Bangladeshi GI registered produce after Jamdani. Last month, the government completed all process for getting GI registration for Jamdani, the classic Muslin craft and one of the finest textiles of the country.

With the GI registration, the country will be able to protect better the origin of Hilsa and rights on it.

According to WIPO, a GI is a name or sign used on certain products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin such as a town, region, or a country.

The use of a GI may also act as a certification that the product possesses certain qualities, is made according to traditional methods, or enjoys a certain reputation, due to its geographical origin.

The GI enables those who have the right to use the indication to prevent its use by a third party whose product does not conform to the applicable standards.

Source: BSS