Staff Reporter :
In a significant move for the honey industry in Bangladesh, the Sundarbans’ honey is on the verge of being registered as a Geographical Indication (GI) product of the country.
The Bagerhat Deputy Commissioner has officially submitted an application to the Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (DPDT), a division of the Ministry of Industries, for the registration of Sundarbans’ honey as a GI product.
This development was confirmed by a statement from the DPDT issued on Sunday.
According to the statement, a journal containing information on the application submitted by the Bagerhat DC has been sent to the government BG press for publication.
The journal will include details from the review process of the application and the findings related to the nutritional quality of Sundarbans’ honey.
The statement further clarified, “If no objections are raised within two months from the date of publication of the journal, the product will be officially registered as a GI product of Bangladesh.”
The application for the GI status was initially submitted on June 7, 2017, by the Deputy Commissioner of Bagerhat.
Following the submission, the DPDT sought additional information from the applicant.
The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) then prepared a detailed test report on the nutritional quality of the honey, which has been submitted to the DPDT for review.
With the publication of the journal, the process of registering Sundarbans’ honey as a GI product has reached a critical stage.
If successful, this will mark a significant achievement for the honey industry and the local economy of the Sundarbans region.
For now, the wait continues as the two-month period for raising objections begins, potentially paving the way for Sundarbans’ honey to gain official recognition and protection as a unique and valuable product of Bangladesh.