The National Office of Industrial Property (ONAPI), gave the Association of Promoters, Producers and Exporters of Mangoes the Dominican Mango Geographical Indication (GI) certificate. ONAPI also gave the "Cafe Juncalito" Denomination of Origin (DO) to the Association of Producers of Specialty Coffee (ASOPROCAES) and the "Oro Verde Cambita" DO certificate to Cambita’s Dominican Avocado Cluster Committee.
The CEO of ONAPI stated that the designations of origin and geographical indications constitute an advance for the organization of producers because they involve the structuring of regulatory boards. "It’s an exercise of internal democracy and partnership towards a common benefit: promoting the product and protecting the brand they will be using henceforth."
Meanwhile, Michelle Guzman, the acting director of Distinctive Signs of ONAPI, said that "once established, the DO and IG guarantee the future of the business communities that have them. They are a wealth and heritage of the places that get them, a wealth that is inherited. It's like creating a niche market that, if well maintained, will last forever."
ONAPI accompanied these producers throughout the process to obtain these certificates and valued the need they had to protect their brands not only in the domestic market but also in international ones.
In this sense, ONAPI has promoted the procedures to legally protect the GI and DO in the country so as to support the national competitiveness and the development of strategies for managing products linked to origin.
To do this, they, and other institutions, take part in the efforts of the Government so that Dominican products become synonymous with quality in international markets.
Nearly 100 avocado producers will be able to place their products in the European market thanks to Oro Verde Cambita’s DO.
Meanwhile the Dominican Mangos IG protects the creole mango production chain, taking into account the developments that the production process has had in recent years, which enhances the economic importance of this fruit.
Source: elnacional.com.do