Govt to give GI recognition to Tangail sari soon

The government will soon recognise Tangail sari with the geographical indication (GI) status, said Industries Secretary Jakia Sultana today.

She made the comments after India secured GI recognition for Tangail sari at the end of January this year, creating a public outcry about why Bangladesh had failed to get GI recognition despite being a rightful claimant as the cloth has been woven here for a long time.

The Indian Ministry of Culture shared the news that they had secured the GI rights to Tangail sari, claiming on a Facebook post that it had originated in West Bengal. 

Although Bangladeshi stakeholders are now discussing the next course of action, they did not take any formal steps to secure the GI recognition before.

At an emergency meeting today, Zakia directed stakeholders to take quick steps to prepare documents to get GI recognition for Tangail sari soon.

At the meeting, officials of the Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (DPDT) were present along with the Deputy Commissioner of Tangail.

Weavers in the northwest district of Dhaka have been making Tangail sari, a popular cloth in Bangladesh, for nearly two and a half centuries.

There are 21 products in Bangladesh that have GI status, including Jamdani sari, hilsha fish, and muslin fabrics.