IP Department hopes to see GI certification for every province in three years

Of the country’s 77 provinces, 51 already have geographical indication products. This year, the department will focus on developing GI products in nine provinces.

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

The use of a GI may 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.

Malee Choklumlerd, director-general of the department, said yesterday that many local products had high potential to become GI-certified if they have been supported properly to preserve quality and they are marketed properly.

“By getting GI certification, Thai farmers will not have to worry about falling prices of crops or local-wisdom goods since the world market knows GI products have high value and come from a specific area,” she said.

Prices will also jump as GI helps increase the value for those products.

Many GI products face a problem of inadequate supply because farmers or producers are unable to draw up production and marketing plans. To prepare such products for commercialisation, the department will help local producers learn how to add value to their goods and also how to market and trade them. 

It will also ensure that producers will produce goods of the same standard.

The products that will be promoted this year are Ratchaburi’s coconut juice and Suan Peung pineapple; Suphan Buri’s waternut; Kanchanaburi’s blue sapphires; Trat’s shrimp paste, Nam Chiew bamboo hats and Si Thong pineapple; Phrae’s mauhom fabrics and Kam Hom rice; Tak’s luem paou rice and doi moo ser coffee; Nong Khai’s Sangkhom dried bananas and Si Chiang Mai pineapple; Satun’s champada; and Krabi’s wing shell and Lam Sak and Lanta shrimp paste.

To date, 67 of the 116 Thai products requesting GI certification have been approved, while 11 foreign products have won certification from 14 requests.

Thai Khao Hom Mali Thung Kula Ronghai rice has already been certified in the European Union. 

The department is waiting for GI certification for four more Thai products – Doi Chang and Doi Tung coffees in the EU, sangyod, a purple rice grown only in Phatthalung in the South, whose request status is being checked, and Isaan Thai silk in Vietnam.

To build awareness of GI products and sales in local markets as well as to find markets for local producers, the department will host the “GI Market 2015” from March 26 to April 1 at CentralPlaza Chaengwattana. 

At the event, more than 60 booths will offer GI products.