Zillur Rahman, deputy registrar (GI) of the Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks, has said Chapainawabganj's mangoes are extremely tasty, and the district's Khirshapati mango especially sweet. The district's mangoes are famous across the country and have even gone abroad. Bangladesh can be made known to the world through them, he said; all that is needed is geographical indication (GI).

He was speaking at midday on 11 May at a workshop on branding Khirshapati mango through geographical indication, held in the conference room of a restaurant in Chapainawabganj.

Zillur Rahman said: "Chapainawabganj's mangoes will reach the market in another 20 days. But immature mangoes from various areas are being sold in the market using the name of this district's mangoes, and the growers here are suffering. So the Khirshapati mango here needs branding. I request the district's Khirshapati growers to brand their mangoes. That will increase the demand for Chapainawabganj's Khirshapati in the world market."

"Chapainawabganj's Khirshapati mango has already been certified as a GI product. However, we are not yet able to put the GI certificate sticker on it, but that will be arranged very soon," he said.

Matteo Gragnani, a legal officer of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), was also present. "I have heard of the reputation of Chapainawabganj's mangoes, which is why I have come here for project work. I intend to work with the mango growers here," he said.

Ahsan Habib, member secretary of the Chapainawabganj Mango Foundation, Ismail Khan Shamim, general secretary of the Shibganj Mango Producer Co-operative Society, and 30 mango growers attended the workshop.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.