Bid to promote GI products in provinces

“The campaign will persuade travellers to buy or eat products that originate in each province. The idea will help stimulate the local economy and boost the production of GI goods,” Pakpoom Dejsakulrit, secretary to Deputy Commerce Minister Siriwat Kajornprasart, said last week.
The move is aimed at increasing the incomes of local farmers and producers that have gained GI accreditation to sell their goods in the domestic and overseas markets.
The ministry’s Intellectual Property Department will soon discuss with the TAT and the Tourism Ministry about including GI products in tourism campaigns so that visitors as well as businesses will grow together.
The GI system protects a product by certifying that it comes from a certain area and has characteristics that cannot be replicated elsewhere. It is supposed to add value to the product and prevent competitors from using the area’s name and misleading the public about a product’s origins.
The use of a GI may act as a certification that the product possesses certain qualities, or enjoys a certain reputation, due to its geographical origin.
GI products are not only worth protecting because of their high quality, but also their sizeable contribution to sustainable rural development.
So far, 72 of 85 products requesting GI certification have been approved. However, many products in 39 other provinces in Thailand have not applied for recognition, even though they have high potential to get GI certification. Some examples are mineral water from Ranong, glazed water jars with dragon patterns from Ratchaburi and celadon ware from Sukothai.
Local government officials, governors and local traders should consider the importance of GI, he added.