28 January 2023
Plans are underway to consider Shwe Bo Paw San rice as Myanmar’s first geographical indication (GI) delayed due to COVID-19 and political situation and Shwe Bo Paw San rice is targeted to expand local and foreign markets, according to Myanmar’s Shwe Bo Paw San Farming, Milling and Trading Association.
“We firstly get GI for local market and efforts will be made to get GI from the international intellectual property office. We are targeting to expand foreign market,” an official from Myanmar’s Shwe Bo Paw San Farming, Milling and Trading Association told the MT news agency.
Survey was conducted to get GI since 2016 and although the project period was fixed three years from 2020 to 2022, it is delayed due to COVID-19 and current political situation.
Measures were made to get GI by organizing an association participating farmers, traders and millers, registration and setting land areas to cultivate Shwe Bo Paw San rice that get GI as of 2015.
After Myanmar’s products were evaluated phase by phase, there were ten potential products to get GI. Of them, effort is being exerted for Shwe Bo Paw San rice to get GI designation. Not only Shwe Bo Paw San rice but also other local products in Myanmar are potential products, according to Intellectual Property Department of the Ministry of Commerce.
At present, as the flow of Shwe Bo Paw San rice and other Paw San varieties is decreased, the prices are high in domestic market. The retail price of Shwe Bo Paw San increased to Ks-120,000 per bag, according to the rice sellers.
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