Collective trademarks of carpet, big cardamom registered
KATHMANDU, July 22: The Trade and Export Promotion Center (TEPC) has registered collective trademarks of two major export products - big cardamom and hand-knotted carpet.
Nepali hand-knotted carpet will now be branded as ´Nepal Carpet´, while cardamom will be promoted as ´Everest Big Cardamom´.
The trademarks were registered with the Department of Industries (DoI) for better promotion of cardamom and hand-knotted carpet in the international market.
“Now that the trademarks have been registered in Nepal, we will now focus on branding of the products,” Ishwari Ghimire, executive director of TEPC, said.
The government had announced to register collective trademarks of cardamom and carpet through the budget for fiscal year 2013/14. In the budget for fiscal year 2014/15, the government has earmarked funds to register the trademarks in five to seven export destinations within the current fiscal year. The government will bear 70 percent of the expenses with exporters will contribute the remaining amount.
“So far, big cardamoms are being exported to India only. Now we will be able to explore market in other countries as well,” Siddhi Charan Dahal, senior officer of TEPC, told Republica,
He also said Gulf countries could be the market for big cardamoms from Nepal.
Nepal exported 4,669 tons of big cardamom amounting to Rs 4.04 billion in the first eleven months of 2013/14. Big cardamom was Nepal´s top six export commodity in the review period after iron and steel products, carpet, textile, ready made garment and yarn. Export of big cardamom is increasing steadily.
The country had exported 5,102.8 tons of big cardamom amounting to Rs 3.84 billion in 2012/13.
Big cardamom is also one of the products included in Nepal Trade Integration Strategy (NTIS) list.
Meanwhile, Cardamom Entrepreneurs´ Association has said registration of a collective trademark for big cardamoms will give recognition of Nepali cardamom in the international market.
“So far we have been facing difficulty to convince buyers from third countries. The thing will change now,” Rajendra Adhikari, president of the association, told Republica.
He also hoped that the government would help them open collection centers in different parts of the country to boost export of cardamom.
Exporters are seeking to explore markets in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Bangladesh to export big cardamom.
Hand-knotted carpet is one the major exportable products of Nepal. In the first 11 months of 2013/14, Nepal exported carpet amounting to Rs 6.62 billion - a rise by 29.6 percent compared to figures of the corresponding period in 2012/13.
The collective trademark of Nepali carpet is jointly owned by Central Carpet Industries Association and Nepal Carpet Exporters Association. However, DoI has urged them to come up with single ownership.
Different European countries as well as USA and China are the major markets for Nepali hand-knotted carpet.
Nepal Carpet Exporters Association plans to register the ´Nepal Carpet´ trademark in ten export destination within this fiscal year.
“We are getting very good demand from new markets in Gulf countries and China,” Anup Bahadur Malla, president of the Nepal Carpet Exporters Association, told Republica.
Earlier, TEPC along with related commodity associations had registered trademark of Nepali coffee and pashmina products in different export destinations.
Source: Republica
