Products from São Bento de Urânia-ES, Marialva-PR, São Mateus do Sul-PR and from western Paraná are awarded quality certificate
September 13, 2017 10h00 AM | Last Updated: September 22, 2017 01h45 PM
Four Brazilian localities received, from the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), between August 2016 and July 2017, the Seal of Indication of Source. The yam produced in São Bento de Urânia-ES, the fine grapes from Marialva-PR, the yerba-mate from São Mateus do Sul-PR and the honey made by bees in western Paraná have been listed with other 49 products and services already certified and that for the current Map of Geographical Indications.
Current Map of Geographical Indication, with new certificates hghlighted
The Map is the result of a partnership between the INPI and the IBGE, set up in June 2014. The INPI, however, has been granting the Seal since 2002. Besides a certificate of origin, the Institute also acknowledges products and services whose features relate exclusively to their geographical origin. In this case, the requesting locality receives a certificate called Designation of Origin.
To get the Seal of Indication of Source or of Designation of Origin, the request is analyzed in a long process. Leila Freitas, project manager at the IBGE's Cartography Department, explains that localities are accepted upon the analisys of a report elaborated by the INPI. “The Institute identifies producing upon producer demand and the IBGE is responsible for that investigation”.
According to Marcelo Pereira, trademark coordinator at the INPI, the request by localities must be in accordance with the industrial property regulation, besides setting correctly the geographic boundaries of producing areas. The IBGE plays a fundamental role in this respect, he highlights. “The IBGE is the authority when it comes to validating geographical data of localities”.
Certificates received help local development
Receiving a Seal of Indication of Origin means recognition for local producers since that area will be known as a center for the extraction, production and/or manufacture of a given product or service. According to Leila, the certificate ensures the reliability of a product or service.
The herb producer from São Mateus do Sul, Márcia da Silveira, agrees, “The seal granted by the INPI certifies we provide high-quality yerba mate. It certainly adds value to our product, helps the economy move, develops the area and attracts new investments. Besides, it will bring benefits to the region and attract new investments. Small local producers will profit from that too".
New localities have requested inclusion in the 2018 issue of the Map. Producers of banana in Corupá-SC, of cigar in Bahia and of powdered guarana in the Andirá-Maraú Indian community, in Pará are now trying to have their Seal of Designation of Origin. Manioc flour in the Novo Remanso area and of pinneapple in Uarini, both in Amazonas, await their Seal of Indication of Origin.
Text: João Neto
Photo: Márcia Silveira (personal archive)
Art: Helga Szpiz
