Three products including Jamalpur's Nakshikantha to get GI status

The appeal to recognise three items including Jamalpur’s Nakshikantha (embroidered hand-stitched quilts) as Geographical Indication (GI) product has been published in the form of a journal. The other two items on this list are Jashore’s date molasses and Rajshahi’s sweet betel leaf.  

Director general of the Department of Patent, Designs and Trademarks (DPDT) under the Ministry of Industries, Md Munim Hassan confirmed the news to Prothom Alo yesterday, Thursday. It is DPDT that gives the approval for GI.

The journal will be kept on the DPDT website for two months from now. If nobody has any objection, then these items will be recognised as GI products after two months.

Md Munim Hassan told Prothom Alo, so far 21 items of the country have been recognised as GI products. And 10 items including the latest three have been published in journals.

The 21 items certified as GI products so far includes Jamdani sari, Bangladeshi ilish (hilsa), Chapainawabganj’s Khirshapat mango, Bijoypur’s white clay, Dinajpur’s Kataribhog rice, Kalijira rice, Rangpur’s Shataranji, Rajshahi silk, Dhakai muslin, Rajshahi-Chapainawabganj’s Fazli mango and Bangladeshi Bagda prawn.

Plus, there are Bangladeshi shital pati, Bogura’s curds, Sherpur’s Tulshimala rice, Chapainawabganj’s Langra mango, Chapainawabganj’s Ashwina mango, Natore’s kachagolla, Bangladeshi Black Bengal goat, Tangail’s Porabari chamcham, Cumilla’s rasmalai and Kushtia’s tiler khaja also.

Indian ministry of commerce and industries recently recognised a sari labeled ‘Tangail sari of Bengal’ as a GI product. This initiative gave rise to much criticism in Bangladesh. Tangail sari traders, GI experts, legal experts and right activists say that Tangail sari is an authentic product of Bangladesh. There is no geographical location named ‘Tangail’ in India. So the Indian claim is unfair.

Concerned departments of the Bangladesh government took it seriously right after the Tangail sari was given GI status in India. Then the Tangail district administration applied for the GI recognition of Tangail sari quickly on 6 February.

The DPDT accepted the application and sent the approval to BG press for gazette on the same day. Then the GI application for the recognition of Tangail sari, Gopalganj’s Rashogolla and Narsingdi’s Amrit Sagor banana were published in the form of a gazette on 8 February.

Amid the GI discussion, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed everyone concerned to be active on the matter of recognition as GI product in the cabinet meeting held on 11 February.

Regarding the prime minister’s directive, cabinet secretary Md Mahbub Hossain said, “The prime minster has told everyone concerned to be active on the matter of recognition as GI product. She has said, ‘everyone be active and get GI recognition for all the products we have’.”