KARACHI: The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (Unisame) has urged for applying intellectual property organisation (IPO) and registrar trademarks for obtaining the geographical indication (GI) and registrations for various commodities, a statement said.

Unisame President Zulfikar Thaver invited the attention of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) Secretary Ahsan Mangi to the urgent need for confirming GI tags and registration of various fruits, vegetables, cereals, grains, commodities and spices without further delay.

Thaver said that the Agricultural Produce Export Development Authority (Apeda) of India has listed more than 471 items and have obtained and applied for their GI tags and registration as GI items based on their popularity and GI status.

He said that the TDAP must take prompt action and get the country’s GI items covered as fast as possible on the merit of exclusiveness and popularity, and obtain their GI tag as soon as possible.

He insisted that the authorities must not be found lagging behind in securing the country’s GI tags for items which are our exclusive rights.

The Unisame president said that there are many items which are known, recognised, accepted and acknowledged, while urging the TDAP, IPO and the trade associations of the geographically indicated areas to examine the aspect of increasing their exports substantially.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Razzak Dawood has been talking about creating an export culture and this could be the first step to make an outstanding beginning, Thaver added.

The Unisame Council called for efforts to promote the exports of numerous GI items to global destinations, while expressing hope for the best results as the country’s GI items are liked for their exclusiveness, characteristics and outstanding features as compared to others.