Sri Lanka nears EU Geographical Indication status for Ceylon Tea

• Certification expected to strengthen brand protection and boost producer income

By Shannine Daniel

Sri Lanka stands to gain a powerful legal instrument to protect Ceylon Tea by registering it as a Geographical Indication (GI) with the European Union (EU), as it will help strengthen consumer confidence and recognise the people whose expertise and dedication have contributed to its reputation, French Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Rémi Lambert said.

As the project on GIs nears completion, the officials involved expressed confidence in the benefits the certification would bring to Ceylon Tea and the wider industry.

Dr. Delphine Marie-Vivien, CIRAD Researcher in Law, who provided legal expertise and led the project, said there were several advantages, including legal recognition for the Ceylon Tea brand that would allow the stakeholders to fight against any misuse of its name.

“Only authentic Ceylon Tea coming from Sri Lanka, complying with the specifications that have been elaborated collectively by all the value chain actors, will be authorised to use the name,” Dr. Marie-Vivien said.

“This exclusive right of use is expected to increase the price of the authentic product because you will have less fake products in the market,” she added.

She noted that this would, in turn, raise the income of value chain participants and promote sustainable tourism in Sri Lanka.

“Sri Lanka now is facing a huge boom in tourists, so this is an excellent way to boost the country’s local products. GIs also enable the protection of traditional knowledge by codifying the specifications of traditional production data,” Dr. Marie-Vivien elaborated.

GIs are signs that identify agricultural or craft products whose quality, reputation or characteristics are linked to their place of origin. More than 9,000 GIs are now protected worldwide and they have been introduced across all World Trade Organisation member countries.

Ceylon Cinnamon became the first Sri Lankan product to receive GI protection in the European Union in 2022, while the Ceylon Tea application was submitted for registration in 2024.

Officials involved in the project hope these milestones will pave the way for future GI initiatives that celebrate Sri Lanka’s cultural and agricultural heritage, covering unique products such as handicrafts, Ceylon Pepper and locally grown pineapple.

“GIs are important legally, economically, socially and politically and the economic benefits include a price premium, increased farmer income, rural development, export growth and increased employment,” said Dilani Hirimuthugodage, Research Economist at the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, which served as the National Project Coordinator.

Financial support for the project, amounting to 1.1 million euros, was provided by the French Agency for Development (AFD) and French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD). 

PIX BY PRADEEP PATHIRANA