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To date, there are very few GIs registered in the CARIFORUM region,
with only the Dominican Republic being successful thus far in
registering national GIs for commodities including coffee and cocoa.
for registration of the GI. In the case of regional
producers, existing commodity organisations
and associations such as the Nutmeg Association
in Grenada or the Toledo Cacao Growers
Association in Belize, serve as a collective body
of producers along their commodity value chain
which can apply for a GI at the national level
and establish a management system for the GI,
inclusive of enforcing theGI nationally, regionally
and internationally.
To date, there are very few GIs registered in the
CARIFORUM region, with only the Dominican
Republic being successful thus far in registering
national GIs for commodities including coffee
and cocoa. The Jamaica Jerk Association has
filed a GI application for Jamaica Jerk which has
successfully passed the opposition period and it
is anticipated that it will shortly be declared a GI.
Other countries within the region are at varying
stages of determining the best suite of IP tools to
utilise to brand their agricultural products and
are preparing to file national GI applications for
a number of commodities, including nutmeg,
cocoa and rum.
While there is limited empirical evidence of the
economic impact of GIs within the region, it is
generally accepted that a well implemented GI
system can have socio-economic and cultural
benefits for producers and other stakeholders
within the geographical production area. In
addition to price premium, these benefits
include themaintenance of cultural heritage and
traditional knowledge, increased entrepreneurial
activity in related areas such as agro-tourism,
as well as increased social and environmental
development of select communities. An
example can be drawn from the Toledo Cacao
Growers Association which has a membership
of small farmers of Mayan descent, with each
farmer operating on less than 10 acres of land.
The farmers, through the association, have both
organic and Fair Trade certification, which allows
them to obtain a premium price for their cacao
through a strategic partnershipwith international
retailers. This premiumallows for the association
tomake payments to theirmembers above average
market price and to engage in development
projects targeting their members and their
communities.
Clearing the Hurdles
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