Eight Cambodian products are currently registered as geographical indications. The Ministry of Commerce is working with relevant institutions and partner organisations to prepare registration procedures for three more Cambodian products.
Commerce Secretary of State វ៉េង សុធី said Cambodia has eight geographical indications at the September 9 opening of a course on intellectual property, its overview, benefits, asset protection and GI registration procedures. The course was jointly organised by the Trade Training and Research Institute, the Department of Intellectual Property and the Siem Reap provincial commerce department.
He listed the eight products as Kampot pepper, Kampong Speu palm sugar, Koh Trong pomelo, Mondulkiri wild honey, Kampot-Kep salt, Kampot-Kep fish sauce, Takeo prawns and Siem Reap prahok. The work has provided farmers with training in management, packaging technology, product innovation and monitoring systems, adding value and increasing demand while supporting many small and medium farming households.
He added that, since Kampot pepper and Kampong Speu palm sugar were registered in 2010, pepper-growing areas, palm tree numbers and processing and packaging companies have increased markedly. Domestic demand is strong and the products are exported to many countries.
The senior commerce official said Kampot pepper, Kampong Speu palm sugar and Kampot-Kep salt have registered international protection, while Kampot-Kep salt is continuing EU registration procedures. Such protection helps prevent counterfeiting and builds the international reputation of Cambodian products and their appeal as tourism destinations.
He said the commerce ministry is cooperating with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and FAO to build the reputation of and register Kampong Thom cashews and Oddar Meanchey Keo Romeat mangoes. This falls under the Public-Social-Private Partnerships for Ecologically Sound Agriculture and Resilient Livelihoods in the northern Tonle Sap region project, or PEARL, and the One Country One Priority Product initiative, OCOP.
The ministry is also working with the World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO, to build the reputation of and register Koh Kong stone crabs as a geographical indication.
Sihanoukville Television. By: ង៉ែត ពិសាន្ត.
