Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2021-10-25

Obtaining a Geographical Indication (GI) for 'Ceylon Tea'

- In terms of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement, the indication which identifies a Good as originating in the territory of a member or a regional locality in the said territory is known as the Geographical Indication (GI),. A GI protects the relevant product against misuse or imitation of the registered name and safeguards consumers guaranteeing the true origin of the product to the consumer. Accordingly, the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) has agreed to provide technical assistance to the Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB) through the Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), to ease the registration process of GI for 'Ceylon Tea'. As such, the proposal made by the Minister of Plantation to enter into a Tripartite Agreement between the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD) and the Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB), was approved by the Cabinet.