With the aim to promote regional agricultural products of Central Asia, improve the recognizability and image of the region, and contribute to rural development, four national online workshops for the selection of potential GI (Geographical Indications) products in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan for piloting were conducted in July 2021, according to the European Union Delegation to Tajikistan.
The piloting, to be implemented in the next 18 months until the end of the project, includes the elaboration of GI specification & documentation for GI registration for the four selected products as show-cases, based on which capacitated stakeholders can replicate for other regional products.
The online workshops are part of the Capacity Building Module on Geographical Indications (GI) (https://www.wipo.int/geo_indications/en).
The objective of this project module is to enhance the environment for the development of GIs in Central Asia countries by building the capacity of BIOs and local producers in the region, equipping them with skills to select products with GI potential, to prepare necessary procedures and documentation for national GI registration and to provide additional knowledge on the value chain management and the control system. It raises awareness of the GIs among value chains stakeholders. In the frame of the module comprehensive webinars on intellectual property rights at the national and international level, the correlation between quality, properties, product features and territory and collective GI management and promotion have already been provided in 2020. Between May 2020 and May 2021, project partners and associated stakeholders identified GIs in the four countries, selected the most promising ones and carried out feasibility studies for 12 of them (3 per country).
At the four national online workshops the GI experts, Angele Postolle and Pascal Bernandoni, from the project partner organization REDD France presented the results of the 12 feasibility studies and the comprehensive assessment of the products by strictly applying the GI evaluation methodology. Based on the experts’ recommendations, four products (one per country) for piloting were selected with a mutual consent of the participants. The four products are Dried Apricot Ashtak (Tajikistan), Almaty Aport Apple (Kazakhstan), At-Bashi White Honey (Kyrgyzstan), and Khoresm melon (Uzbekistan). The products were selected to be piloted as showcases and demonstration products.
These workshops were organized by the "CANDY V" consortium led by the Austrian internationally active organization Hilfswerk International, with the expert input by REDD France (project partner) in the framework of the project "Regional integration and capacity building to boost Agribusiness MSMEs competitiveness and trade Promotion in Central Asia – CANDY V", funded by the European Union program "Central Asia – Invest V" and the Austrian Development Cooperation.
