Sri Lanka Could Extend Geographic Indication to King Coconuts

Sri Lanka could extend Geographical Indications (GI) to iconic food like king coconuts, officials said after the island certified Cinnamon and Ceylon tea under an international system to ensure their origin and authenticity, the economynext reported on Monday, October 20.

The process of getting Ceylon Tea under GI was completed after a four-year process with a million Euro grant from Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD), the French aid agency. Ceylon Cinnamon was the first GI certified product from Sri Lanka backed by the UNIDO and EU.  

“Following the success of Ceylon Tea and also Cinnamon, which received the first GI of the country, today studies on King Coconut and Cashew are underway and many other agricultural and handicraft products could also benefit from GI protection,” Yazid Bensaïd, Country Director for Sri Lanka, at AFD said. “GI guarantees authenticity and quality, linking the reputation of the product to its place of origin.