Conference focuses on cultivating China's geographic indications

Cultivating Chinese geographic indications to inject new vitality into rural revitalization is a consensus shared by industry experts at an international conference on Tuesday.

As an important part of this year's CIFTIS, the 2023 International Conference on Geographic Indication and Brand Distribution Service focuses on the cultivation, promotion, and protection of geographical indication brands.

It aims to expand the sales channels for products with geographical indications, promote the sustainable development of the industry, and better contribute to rural revitalization.

The event, initiated by the World Trade Point Federation, brings about approximately 400 representatives from intellectual property service organizations, industry associations, and county and municipal governments.

China has made significant achievements in intellectual property innovation and geographical indication protection, said Liu Hua, director of the World Intellectual Property Organization Office in China.

The direct output value of Chinese geographical indication products has already exceeded 700 billion yuan ($95.87 billion), contributing effectively to China's rural revitalization efforts.

The country has been advancing geographical indication protection by assisting farmers and businesses in promoting their products globally, which serves as a model for international dissemination of Chinese intellectual property expertise, she added.

China ranks 11th among 132 economies in the 2022 Global Innovation Index, an annual ranking of the world's economies on innovation capacity and output, according to the WIPO.

Florence Rojal, senior legal officer of the Lisbon Registry of the Brands and Designs Sector from the WIPO introduced the definition and the application procedure of the Lisbon System for the international registration of appellations of origin and geographical indications.

A geographical indication is an indication that identifies a good as originating in a specific geographical area and whose quality, reputation, or characteristics are essentially attributable to that geographical origin, Rojal said.

Promotion conferences of geographical indication products from Jingning county, Gansu province, and Danjiangkou, Hubei province were held during the event.

Jingning Apple, as one of the geographical indication products, is listed in the China-EU Geographical Indications Agreement and has been exported to 17 countries and regions.

The county, with abundant sunshine and significant variations between day and night temperatures, grew about 986,000 tons of apples last year, with the output value reaching 6 billion yuan.

Local farmers saw their per capita income from apple cultivation exceed 7,500 yuan, accounting for over 70 percent of their overall per capita income.

Nearly 200,000 impoverished individuals rely on the apple industry to achieve stability and prosperity, according to Jingning's government statistics.

It is expected that Jingning will become a world-renowned brand in the apple industry with a production cluster worth over 10 billion yuan.