Due to administrative negligence in Bangladesh, India has already registered 10 Geographical Indications (GIs) shared between the two countries as its own.
This list is expected to grow, according to the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) as it calls for collaboration with India to establish a legal framework and avoid future tensions.
The recommendation follows the recent announcement of Sundarbans' honey as a GI product of India. The application for GI status was filed by India in 2021. It was approved on January 2, where it states that India is the single and unique producer of honey of the Sundarbans, tweeted by The West Bengal Forest Department.
Debapriya Bhattacharya, a distinguished fellow of the CPD was speaking during a media briefing titled "Sundarban honey now India's Geographical Indication (GI) product" held at the CPD office in the capital on June 26.
A GI is a name or sign used on specific products to certify that they possess certain qualities attributed to the environment, weather, and culture of a country. This certification aids in branding, highlights traditions and reputations in the global market, and creates a distinct demand for the product.
The path to commercial production, marketing rights and legal protection is paved. GI-tagged products fetch higher prices compared to similar products in other countries.
The think tank said that the district administration of Bagerhat filed an application for the GI tag of Sundarbans honey on August 7, 2017, and there has been no development since then.
In his keynote presentation, Debapriya said that this is a rather astonishing example of administrative dereliction of duty. Thus, the GI of Sundarbans' honey in Bangladesh has remained unsecured.
“Bangladesh and India need to adopt a collaborative approach instead of shared understanding and mutual consultations. A joint binational approach for exploiting trans-border GIs would be the best commercial strategy to enhance the recognition and value of the shared resources of both countries in international markets,” he added.
However, West Bengal Forest Development Corporation Limited applied for GI rights for Sundarbans Honey on July 12, 2021, and the GI tag was issued on January 2, 2024.
Bangladesh's Department of Patent, Designs and Trademark (DPDT) has listed 31 GI products as of April 30, 2024. This list does not include the Sundarbans' honey.
Debapriya Bhattacharya also said this sole representation of the said product by India sparked questions in our minds as the majority of Sundarbans' territory lies within Bangladesh.
In a presentation, he said Bangladesh is the primary extractor of Sundarbans' honey. While official government records could not be found, about 200-300 tonnes of honey are extracted from the forest annually.
The think-tank urged the government to join the European Union's Regional Agreement and the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement, 2015.
Once both Bangladesh and India sign up for the Geneva Act, discussions can be initiated on submitting joint applications under the law for all trans-border GIs, it said.
“If we want more foreign investment and technology, intellectual property protection should be ensured,” he also added.
Fahmida Khatun, executive director CPD said: “The main part of Sundarbans honey is collected from the forest area located on the border of Bangladesh. But the product has been declared a GI product in India, raising new questions.
“Earlier in February, Bangladesh's Tangail saree was declared a GI product by India's West Bengal. Since 2013-14, we have been working on these Tangail sarees, and Jamdani sarees with geographical indication products. We also had publications. In addition, we developed a set of guidelines and policies by talking to various stakeholders."
“But unfortunately we have seen that not much importance has been given to this at the policy-making level. As a result, they registered the Tangail saree as their own geographical product. Now they have done it again with the Sundarban honey.”
Fahmida believes that if the traditional products of Bangladesh are registered under India’s GI, then Bangladesh cannot claim them as their own. Unfortunately, we wake up when the deed is done."
Mustafizur Rahman, distinguished fellow of the CPD, also spoke at the event.
