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NTCDB holding its breath for coffee logo
KATHMANDU, JUN 20 -
The National Tea and Coffee Development Board (NTCDB) has been making regular visits to the Department of Industry to get its coffee logo registered after it was assured that it would happen within two weeks.
However, more than three weeks have passed and the board is not sure about getting the much-awaited logo.
“We are making frequent visits after the Department of Industry assured us that the logo would be issued, but things are not going as expected,” said Binay Kumar Mishra, executive director of the board.
He added that the Department of Industry had already awarded
the tea logo, and there was no need to delay the coffee logo.
However, the Ministry of Industry said that issuing the trademark might take some time as it was in the process of endorsing the terms of reference.
“The directives regarding the collective trademark have already been issued, and the ministry has sent them to the Department of Industry
for implementation,” said Yam Kumari Khatiwada (Banskota), spokesperson at the Ministry of Industry.
According to her, after the issuance of the directives, the Department
of Industry will endorse the terms of reference for separate products which will be finally approved by the ministry, so issuance of the coffee logo will take some time.
She said that the Department of Industry was busy assessing the terms of reference as issuing a collective trademark should be clear and sustainable.
With regard to issuance of the trademark, all the private, state-owned or cooperative coffee producers will get a collective trademark confirming that the coffee is produced and certified in Nepal. Coffee produced in any part of the country will be marketed under this single logo.
The board plans to apply for registration of the coffee logo in the international market as soon as the logo is issued here, Mishra said.
The tea logo has already been issued with the brand “The Nepal tea — A symbol of quality from the top of the world”.
Mishra said that the board would start registering coffee producers across the country to gather systemic updates and information about production, export, cultivating areas and the farmers.
According to the NTCDB, the area under coffee cultivation in Nepal has increased to 16,000 hectares in 2009.
Nepali farmers produce the Arabica variety of filter coffee. This is the most popular variety and enjoys a 70 percent share in the global coffee market.
Posted on: 2010-06-21 08:14
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