Technical Assistance I
Under the auspices of the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DGIP) of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights and the Directorate General of National Export Development (DGNED) of the Ministry of Trade, the ARISE+ Indonesia programme virtually launched the Indonesian Geographical Indication Show (IGIS) 2022 on Friday (13/05). The launch of IGIS 2022 whose tagline is "Enhancing the Value of Indonesian High Quality Agri-food Products through the Spectrum of Geographical Indications” was marked by a webinar entitled “Hello From The Spices Land”. The event gathered prominent figures from the culinary, gastronomy and retail industries, including Willian Wongso (Gastronomy Expert), Helianti Hilman (Founder of Javara), and Maria Suwarni (Marketing and Merchandising Director of Ranch Market Group).
The webinar, hosted by Arto Biantoro, an Indonesian Brand Activist, discussed the value of agro-food Indonesian Geographical Indications (GIs), its application in culinary and gastronomy, including great recipes from celebrity chefs, and tips and tricks in promoting and marketing GI products and was live-streamed through the Youtube channel “Arise Plus Indonesia”.
IGIS 2022 aims at demonstrating that Geographical Indications are beyond a matter of Intellectual Property protection and legal recognition of naturally processed and handmade products and are actually part of the foundation of Indonesia’s cultural heritage. IGIS 2022 calls on all parties, from investors, exporters, potential buyers, associations, culinary lovers, culinary practitioners, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and local brand activist and GI stakeholders, to support community empowerment, improve the competitive edge of Indonesian GI’s, and strengthen GI’s authenticity and premium quality.
Director of Trademarks and Geographical Indications, Directorate General of Intellectual Property, Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Kurniaman Telaumbanua, hoped that IGIS would continue to increase public awareness of the Indonesian GIs and open broader market access.
"Hopefully, local and international markets will increasingly appreciate Indonesian products with the Geographical Indication label," said Mr Kurniaman.
In her remarks, Ni Made Ayu Marthini, Director of Export Development Cooperation, Directorate General of National Export Development, Ministry of Trade, said, "It's time to double the effort in promoting Indonesian GI products since GIs benefitting the farmers and protecting intellectual property rights."
The key to competition and competitiveness today is the uniqueness, quality and reputation of the products, especially in food and beverages. This was conveyed by Thibaut Portevin, the Head of Cooperation for the European Union Delegation in Jakarta. "The European Union, as the largest market for Geographical Indication products, highly values food and beverage products that are safe, highly nutritious and of premium quality. In 2019, the Geographical Indications market was estimated to be worth 74.76 billion Euros and represented 15.5% of the EU's total exports of food and beverage products".
Mr Portevin added, "By protecting Indonesian Geographical Indication products worldwide, Indonesia can prevent fraudulent use of the GI name while preserving the superior reputation of Indonesia's cultural and agri-food products. Geographical Indications protect local values at a global level".
Making special guest appearance at the webinar, Indonesian legendary Gastronomy Expert, William Wongso, said that spices have been an important commodity of Indonesia and have become part of Indonesia's identity as one of the leading spices producers in the world. Thus, Indonesian spices certified with Geographical Indication have great potential on the international market, especially since the Government of Indonesia launched the "Spices up the World" programme in November 2021.
On the domestic market front, the Marketing and Merchandising Director of Ranch Market Group, Maria Suwarni, remarked that artisan products have great market potential. However, she noted that the producers should pay more attention to certification and product continuity.
Herlianti Hilman, an influencer, social foodtrepreneur and founder of local food company Javara, underscored the importance of maintaining the quality assurance of the GI products. "Premium quality and authenticity are what GI certification promises to deliver, so the GI producers should keep the promise. Otherwise, it would backfire," Ms Herlianti said.
She also emphasised the importance of a realistic pricing strategy for GI products, not to be overpriced.
IGIS 2022 explores the uniqueness and characteristics of each Geographical Indication through video documentaries, cooking shows, recipes for GI agri-food products, talk shows, and webinars. IGIS features ten selected Indonesian GI products, namely Adan Krayan Rice, Bali Amed Salt, East Luwu Pepper, Gayo Arabica Coffee, Koerintji Cinnamon, Kulonprogo Jogja Coconut Sugar, Java Preanger Tea, Muntok White Pepper, Minahasa Cloves and Siaw Nutmeg.
For further information about the IGIS campaign, please visit https://igis.id and its social media channels.
