Geographical Indication

Agricultural products are generally associated with their place of production and are influenced by specific local, geographical factors such as climate and soil. A geographical indication (GI) is a sign (or name) used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess unique qualities or a reputation associated with the product of the origin (WIPO 2004). The qualities, characteristics or reputation of the product should be essentially due to the place of origin. GI is an intellectual property that protects the product of the area and ultimately helps to promote conservation of agrobiodiversity on-farm and boost economy of local community. Some examples of GIs in South Asia include Darjeeling tea, Basmati rice, Himalayan water, Alphonso and Sindhri mangoes, however, until now, there is no any GI protected products in Nepal. For GI promotion, Geo-linked popular crop landraces and their traits need to be found out for their potential trade promotion and value addition.