Geographical Indication Haberleri - Son Dakika Geographical Indication Haber Güncel Gelişmeler

Kozluk Mereto honey on the path to obtaining geographical indication

Beekeepers working on the southern slopes of Mereto Mountain, which has an altitude of 2973 meters in the district, produce Kozluk Mereto Honey, one of the highest quality honeys in the region, from bees that feed on hundreds of different flowers found here," stated District Governor Ekrem Güngör. "According to our analyses, our honey has the following values: proline 1264 mg/kg, diastase 43.9 ds/dn, pH 3.93, moisture 16.7%, and C4% sugar 0.00. Due to the geographical location where it is produced, the proline value is very high, the enzyme amount is high, and the mineral substance-ash content is low, meeting all the criteria of high-quality honey. Kozluk Mereto Honey, derived from hundreds of flower species, primarily thyme and astragalus, is a healing honey due to its high altitude, distance from residential areas, and clean air. In terms of proline values, it is as valuable as Anzer Honey," he said. District Governor Güngör noted that Kozluk Mereto Honey, which allows for an annual production of approximately 100 tons, has a unique taste and aroma, holds an important place in quality criteria, and has a low moisture content. "When all these features come together, high-quality Kozluk Mereto Honey emerges. Considering all these characteristics, naturally produced Kozluk Mereto Honey's application for Organic Certification and Geographical Indication has also been made. As the first stage, Kozluk Mereto Honey, which holds the Organic Agriculture Entrepreneur Certificate, will prove to be one of the best and highest quality honeys in the coming years by obtaining Organic Agriculture Certification and geographical registration from the Turkish Patent Institute. In this context, we thank our Governor Ekrem Canalp, our Provincial and District Agriculture and Forestry Directorates, and the Dicle Development Agency for always supporting our Kozluk Mereto Honey project, which is an important source of income for our people and plays a significant role in the promotion and branding of Kozluk, as well as all our other projects," he said.

Geographical indication boost for tourism regions

Ten of the provinces most visited by tourists in Turkey are also at the top in terms of industrial property rights. According to the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TÜRKPATENT), the number of trademark applications and geographical indication applications from these ten provinces in 2023 and the first five months of 2024 accounts for approximately 70% of all applications made in Turkey. In 2023, there were 168,850 domestic trademark applications across Turkey, and the top ten tourism provinces accounted for 117,767 of these applications. In the first five months of 2024, Turkey had a total of 65,295 trademark applications, with 45,478 coming from these provinces. These figures represent about 70% for each category. These provinces are also significant players in the field of geographical indications, with a total of 351 geographical indication files processed, 94 of which are still in progress. Growth momentum in Class 43 services Evaluating the data, Kemal Yamankaradeniz, Chairman of the Board of Support Patent, stated, 'Class 43 includes ‘food and beverage services’ and ‘temporary accommodation services’. According to TÜRKPATENT, last year there were a total of 19,678 trademark applications in this class, with 19,080 being domestic and 598 foreign. In the first five months of this year, there were 8,110 trademark applications, of which 7,973 were domestic and 137 foreign. These figures are evidence of the rapid rise in gastronomy and hospitality services in our tourism regions.' Impact of geographical indications in tourism regions Yamankaradeniz also noted that the most valuable increase in these tourism regions is in geographical indications because they are a quality indicator showing the connection between the product and its geographical area. 'Today, there is a phenomenon known as gastronomic tourism worldwide. People travel long distances and make significant expenditures to consume famous foods or products at their place of origin. On the other hand, by protecting local producers, it is possible to support rural development and local branding both in the domestic and global markets. Tours are organized to France for cheese tastings and to Italy for pasta or pizza. Therefore, the more we increase and promote our geographical indication products, the more we contribute to economic growth and the continuity of tourism revenue increases.' he added.

Seafood received geographical indication for the first time

Reflecting the thousands of years of sea and fishing culture of Sinop, the 'Sinop lakerda', which was consumed by poor families at first and then entered the restaurants, was registered with the geographical indication and went down in history as the first seafood product to receive a geographical indication. 'Sinop lakerda', prepared by slicing toric or large bonito in the Black Sea, has been registered with a geographical indication. The product, which was registered as the 11th geographically marked product in Sinop, also made history as a seafood product that received geographical indication for the first time. Sinop lakerda, which has been applied for by the Sinop Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TSO) and whose examinations have taken approximately 2 years, is expected to enter the shelves of large markets in the coming days. Noting that each country has taken different initiatives to protect local products with global influences recently, Sinop CCI President Salim Akbaş said, “Works have been started to obtain geographical indications in our country so that local products can gain higher added value. At the moment, we are proud to add the Sinop laker to the products that have received 11 geographical indications in our province so far.” For the first time, seafood received geographical indication Stating that it has been 2 years since the application was made, Akbaş said, “It was a product made and presented to us by our elders in our homes since ancient times. We prepared the files of our product, which we told the Turkish Patent Institute in March 2021, in order to both brand it and protect its quality. The process took so long, it went down in history as the first product with a geographical indication for a seafood product. Since seafood is an edible product, its investigations and laboratory studies took a little longer than other products. It will also enter the shelves of major supermarkets Saying that it is the second geographically marked product purchased on behalf of Sinop TSO, Akbaş emphasized that they will carry out studies for the product to be sold in national markets. Akbaş said, “As the interest in geographical indications has increased recently, we have registered the Sinop lakerda with the belief that we also protect these values. We will hold a workshop with experts in the coming days, and after this workshop, we will have completed a certain process for these products to be on the national market shelves."

#Geographical Indication

Kozluk Mereto honey on the path to obtaining geographical indication

Geographical indication boost for tourism regions

Seafood received geographical indication for the first time