ISLAMABAD-Pakistan, after registering Basmati rice, decided to register pink salt from the country’s Salt Range as the Geographical Indication (GI).
“To prevent unauthorized use of Pakistan Geographical Indications (GI) by other countries, a meeting was held with the IPO Pakistan at the Ministry of Commerce (MOC). GI registration of products from various regions of Pakistan was discussed. After the registration of the rice, we decided to register the pink salt from the Salt Range of Pakistan as GI. This will encourage and motivate our manufacturers to expand their business globally, ”he said.
Similarly, he said, a list of other products will be followed primarily. “We urge our business world to identify and inform the IPOs of other products that can be registered as GI in order to protect them to realize their export potential,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Commerce said that Prime Minister Trade and Investment Advisor Abdul Razak Dawood was chaired to discuss issues related to the registration of Geographical Indications (GI). Pakistan Minister of Commerce and President of the Intellectual Property Organization (IPO) attended the meeting.
The consultant was informed that, after the registration of the rice, Pink Rock Salt will now be registered quickly. A registrant will be appointed for this, with the approval of the Federal Council of Ministers. Dawood expressed his acknowledgment of the progress made and reiterated the importance of registering various products as GI. He said that the registration of GI products would serve as a potential economic tool to stimulate and develop Pakistan’s national and international trade. Fast registration will protect GIs in Pakistan and eliminate the possibility of GI products infringement. He advised the Department of Commerce to primarily double its efforts to register potential products as GI.
Pakistan had recently registered Basmati Rice as a Geographical Indication (GI) under the Geographical Indications Act 2020. Under this Law, a GI registry has been established that will register GIs and keep a basic record of GI owners and authorized users. This will pave the way for establishing a local registration for this particular type of rice and filing a lawsuit on world markets for its preservation as a Pakistani product.
This was the first Pakistani product to be registered under the GI label, and we can now demand and market our products in global markets. “This will ensure that our products are protected from abuse or counterfeiting, and therefore their shares in the international market are protected,” Razak said in a statement last month. Said. According to reports, Pakistan has managed to record nearly $ 1 billion in export revenue from the country’s Basmati rice exports to the European Union.