Ceylon golden pineapple nears GI status
The Morning: Sri Lanka is on the cusp of securing Geographical Indication (GI) status for Ceylon golden pineapple, with only the final registration process remaining, the Government reveals.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure Director (Development) – Coconut and Minor Crops R.C. Watawala stated that they had completed all preparatory work necessary for securing GI status for Ceylon golden pineapple and that what remained was merely the final registration process.
“With regard to pineapple, we took the process to the very end. All that is left is the registration. We did everything else. We trained the people, formed associations, and followed the necessary procedure. That process is now at the very end,” he stated.
Commenting further, Watawala revealed that they had also taken steps to acquire GI status for Ceylon pepper.
However, he conceded that the process in respect of pepper had been bogged down by disputes over whether Sri Lanka should secure GI for Ceylon pepper on a national or region-specific basis.
“According to accepted norms and rules, the Government cannot obtain GI. It should be obtained by a group or association that produces that product. It is they who must request GI. We can only facilitate the process.
“An argument has now arisen between these groups. We were originally going to secure GI for pepper on a regional basis, while the process was ongoing. Some argued that GI for pepper should be secured on a national basis,” Watawala added.
He further clarified that responsibility for facilitating the process to secure GI status for both Ceylon pepper and Ceylon golden pineapple had until recently been the responsibility of the Ministry of Plantations, adding that following the reshuffling of ministries and their functions by the new Government, the responsibility had now been transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s export authorities are focused on the aggressive expansion of the country’s exports sector that is already recording a steady growth. It is in such a backdrop that Sri Lanka has worked on obtaining GI certification for several key agriculture export commodities, which in-turn has expanded the products’ access to more foreign markets. The many trade agreements as well as many trade concessions enjoyed by Sri Lanka with other countries and the ongoing drive to further strengthen and expand trade ties with more foreign countries have also given an impetus to the local exports industry. The many promotional campaigns in old and new foreign markets as well as the value-additions and diversifications of Sri Lanka’s export product portfolio have also helped expand the local exports sector. All these movements indicate an expansion in the business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s exports sector. With the exports sector on a steady growth path with Sri Lanka’s strong trade ties and the many incentive schemes offered for businesses in the sector, foreign businesses/investors could confidently explore the expanding business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s exports sector. Foreign businesses/investors could also look at expanding operations in the exports sector locally and internationally through local collaborations.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20250507/Z_1 |