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Italy: the GI Calendar shows “busy”
A year away from upcoming international event Expo 2015, the international food business community met in Parma from 5 to 8 May at the occasion of the 17th edition of the International Food Exhibition “Cibus”, which has become a key event of the Italian agri-food sector.
Several Italian Members of oriGIn participated through a series of events, in cooperation with the Italian GI Association (AICIG), to present the latest trends on the market as well as raise awareness on expectations and priorities of the GI sector. In this context, the Italian Ministry of Agriculture signed an agreement with AICIG and eBay aimed at defending the authenticity and promoting excellence in Italian food on the Internet.
More information @ http://www.cibus.it/en/ , on Twitter hashtag #cibus2014
Furthermore, from 12 to 14 May 2014 “Le strade della Mozzarella” (the Mozzarella Roads), the event celebrating the Italian Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) “Mozzarella di Bufala Campana” will open the doors of its 7th edition in Paestum.
This gastronomic congress, organized in cooperation with the “Consorzio di tutela della Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP” , will gather national and international chefs, specialized journalists, food bloggers as well as enthusiasts offering a rich program of events, including debates and show cooking, aimed at valorising the quality and tradition of the PDO and its area of origin.
More information @ http://www.identitagolose.com/sito/en/44/7940/dallitalia/on-the-mozzarella-roads.htm & www.lestradedellamozzarella.it , on Twitter @Mozzarellaroads hashtag #lsdm
Ecuador: launching of appellations of origin logos
On April 21, the Ecuadorian Institute of Intellectual Property (IEPI) announced that the 2014 will be the “year of the appellations of origin” in Ecuador to raise awareness in the country on the importance of this intellectual property and development tool. In this context, three logos for appellations of origin were launched.
The logos are: ” ECUADOR ” (the general framework to identify any appellation of origin in Ecuador), ” CACAO ARRIBA – ECUADOR ” (conceived specifically for the already recognized Ecuadorian appellation of origin CACAO ARRIBA ) and “MONTECRISTI – ECUADOR ” (conceived specifically for the already recognized Ecuadorian appellation of origin MONTECRISTI ) . These logos are part of a broader strategy for the differentiation and adding value to Ecuadorian unique products through appellations of origin with the aim of facilitating their identification and promotion.
More information (in Spanish) @ http://www.propiedadintelectual.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2014/04/boletin_de_prensa_15_2014.pdf
Africa: Geographical Indications as a development opportunity for the agriculture sector
Over the last 2 years, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Economy (DREA) of the African Union (AU) Commission has been working to raise awareness on Geographical Indications (GIs) among farmers, policy-makers and academic circles in Africa. The AU recognizes that African local communities have an enormous potential in terms of GIs, through which they can add value to ancestral produce, traditions and skills, which are peculiar to their geographical areas.
An interesting example is represented by Ethiopia, where the State decided to protect 3 coffee names corresponding to the production regions: Harrar, Sidamo and Yirgacheffee. The legal instrument chosen to confer protection to such names has been the commercial trademark, which does not represent necessarily the most appropriate to ensure the respect of production methods nor the distribution of the value added to the local populations. As a result, the AU efforts in terms of GIs awareness raising in Africa is extremely pertinent.
More information @ http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/geographic-indications-a-potent-panacea-for-africa-s-agricultural-sector/144488/
India: 215 GIs now recognized at the national level
In April, 14 GIs (namely Nagpur orange, Kannauj perfume, Kanpur saddlery, Moradabad Metal Craft, Kangra painting, Firozabad Glass, Saharanpur wood craft, Dharmavaram handloom pattu sarees and paavadas, Warli painting, Kolhapur jaggery, Thewa art work, Moirang phee, Wangkhei phee and Shaphee lanphee) have been officially recognized in India, bringing the total number of national protected GIs to 215.
An interesting case is represented by the Nagpur Orange, a unique product from Vidarbha, in the eastern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra, a poor area which suffers from poor irrigation facilities. A farmer association – the Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (PDKV) – supported by the local academic community – is behind the GI application. Nagpur oranges have a unique blend of acid and sugar, which does not exist in any other orange grown in the region, and a unique deep orange colour.
More information @ http://ipindia.nic.in/girindia/ & @ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Geographical-Indications-tag-for-Nagpur-orange-Kannauj-perfume/articleshow/34214019.cms
