DIP registers Baan Phaeo snakeskin gourami as new GI product in Samut Sakhon

The Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) is pressing ahead with its drive to upgrade Thailand’s production base in line with the Commerce Ministry’s goal of promoting high-value agriculture.

Its latest move is the registration of Baan Phaeo snakeskin gourami as a geographical indication (GI), making it the fourth GI product of Samut Sakhon province, following Baan Phaeo Puang Thong longan, Baan Phaeo aromatic coconuts, and Baan Phaeo aromatic coconut blossom nectar.

The registration reinforces the quality of local agricultural and processed goods rooted in local wisdom. It also highlights their distinctive identity and helps elevate them into premium GI products capable of generating sustainable income for communities in multiple ways.

DIP director-general Auramon Supthaweethum said Baan Phaeo snakeskin gourami stands out from gourami raised elsewhere because Samut Sakhon is a low-lying coastal province with a comprehensive irrigation system.

The area has good-quality water available throughout the year, while its brackish water is rich in nutrients and supported by grasses that provide a natural food source. These natural conditions, combined with Baan Phaeo’s traditional fish-farming wisdom passed down through generations, give the fish its distinctive qualities.

Farmers dig ponds deep enough to prevent sunlight from reaching the bottom, which keeps the water cool. As a result, fresh gourami from the area has a pale grey colour, lighter than fish from other sources. Its flesh is fine, soft and firm rather than crumbly, and free from any muddy smell. When fried fresh, the fish has a naturally sweet taste.

When the fresh fish is carefully processed, beginning with the selection of fish of a suitable size, followed by splitting and cleaning, salting in the right proportion, and sun-drying using traditional community methods, it becomes sun-dried gourami and fragrant dried gourami.

These products have firm, dry flesh that does not fall apart and carries no muddy odour. Once fried, the flesh remains tender, the saltiness is well balanced, and the fish releases a distinctive aroma.

At present, production of Baan Phaeo snakeskin gourami totals around 8 million kilogrammes per year, generating as much as 740 million baht annually for the provincial economy.

Auramon added that the GI registration is in line with the Commerce Ministry’s policy of systematically adding value to agricultural products and community-identity goods.

DIP has adopted a comprehensive approach to promoting and upgrading such products, including establishing product quality control systems to strengthen consumer confidence, providing marketing knowledge for entrepreneurs, and developing modern packaging that reflects the GI identity and suits the premium market.

The department is also working to expand both online and offline marketing channels, including participation in domestic and international trade fairs, securing distribution channels in department stores, wholesale and retail outlets nationwide, and on leading online platforms.

Baan Phaeo snakeskin gourami has strong potential thanks to its quality, flavour and distinctive local identity, Auramon said. It can be further developed into processed foods, ready-to-eat products and high-quality gifts, helping to raise its value and broaden market opportunities in a sustainable way.

In addition, DIP is committed to promoting GI production areas as community tourism destinations, linking locally distinctive products with travel experiences. This supports the policy of “Amazing Thailand 365 Days”, championed by Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun, which aims to lift products and services into the high-value tourism segment.

The policy seeks to use the strengths of local products in terms of quality and identity to generate income for local entrepreneurs throughout the year. Thailand currently has 256 registered GI products, which together generate more than 115.97 billion baht in economic value for communities nationwide.

DIP said it is confident that GI registration will help make Baan Phaeo snakeskin gourami more widely known, while encouraging producers and businesses in Samut Sakhon to maintain production standards and continue developing the GI product.

The move is expected to support growth not only in high-value agriculture but also in Thailand’s food soft power, while turning production areas into learning centres and community-based tourism destinations.

In the long term, this is expected to create income, spread economic opportunities and improve the quality of life for local people in a sustainable way.