Sri Lanka eyes GI status for king coconut and cashew
The Morning: The Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure has revealed plans to secure Geographical Indication (GI) status for Sri Lankan king coconut and cashew.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business, Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure Director (Development) – Coconut and Minor Crops R.C. Watawala revealed that the ministry was currently in the process of considering the possibility of obtaining GI for Sri Lankan king coconut and cashew.
“The ministry, together with the Coconut Research Institute (CRI), is presently making efforts to obtain GI for king coconut. We are also looking at cashews as well. We are presently considering the basics to see if there is a possibility of obtaining GI for these crops.
“We haven’t commenced any substantive process. We are currently looking to see if there are research findings and whether Sri Lanka has any specialities,” he stated.
He further revealed that they had already commenced research on cashew in order to identify whether there were grounds to obtain GI. He expressed his confidence that they would be able to obtain these research findings by the end of the year.
Watawala also stated that once they received the research findings, they would make a final determination as to whether the process of seeking GI recognition would be formally initiated.
Commenting on the status of the process with regard to king coconut, he stated that they were still carrying out the basic preparatory works.
Watawala further stated that such basic preparatory work involved evaluating whether the crop possessed a distinctive characteristic and whether such a characteristic was internationally recognised and accepted. He noted that the process also included reviewing credible research findings that affirmed the existence and uniqueness of the said characteristic.
He revealed that the Ministry of Plantation had previously undertaken efforts to secure GI status for Ceylon golden pineapple and had advanced the process to its final stages.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s exports industry is on a steady growth path and is also a key revenue generator to the country. The many trade agreements and trade concessions enjoyed by Sri Lanka with many foreign countries have also helped boost the exports industry. The promotional campaigns carried out by local authorities in foreign markets while increasing the standards of local products like GI certifications and encouraging local exporters to add value as well as diversify the existing export product portfolio would further boost Sri Lanka’s exports industry. All these developments have resulted in the expansion of business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s exports industry. The interest shown by many foreign businesses to explore the opportunities in Sri Lanka’s manufacturing and exports industry while businesses already in the industry are recording growth and profits indicate the increasing business potential in the industry and related sectors. Given the increasing attraction of Sri Lanka’s export industry and the incentives on offer, foreign businesses/investors could explore the lucrative ventures in the local industry while also looking at expanding operations through local collaborations.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20250806/Z_1 |