Why should I check whether or not such a product does have GIs’ National Logo??

Geographical Indications (GIs) term sounds a bit cumbersome and unimportant. Especially when you are in the consumer position. Life is as simple as taking a product out of any retail shop. GIs is almost never be any part of your consideration, as to whether or not such product contains the exact thing as claimed by the producer.

Allow us to make an illustrative situation to make things easier:

Say, you buy a coffee product, that mentions “The Real Gayo Coffee” on its packaging / label.

Considering that you are such a positive thinking buyer ever, you would just assume that such label is 100% true. Deep down inside, you have accepted the idea of paying more to get a product that you simply just assume precisely contains the Gayo Coffee as the label mentioned.

In your mind, the only contingency plan is that if such coffee is not good as its claim, you will not buy the product ever again as a punishment mechanism to the supplier. That is it.

But hey! We would like to tell you something: Consumers in Indonesia (just like any other consumers in other countries) DO have rights too.

Really?? click here 

In short, your right is protected by law and you deserve to get CORRECT, CLEAR and HONEST information on product’s condition and guarantee provided by the producers / manufacturers in Indonesia.

The idea works like the guarantee on food safety provided by authorized label of Indonesian FDA (P-IRT or BPOM MD) or halal guarantee provided by LPPOM MUI. National Logo of Indonesian GIs is used to ensure and guarantee that there will be no bad-faith producers that claim certain quality on their products and riding the coat-tail of GI-based commodities, claiming that they use them as the raw material of their products.

Any producer is PROHIBITED to ride the coat-tail of GI-based commodities / products like Gayo Arabica Coffee. If by chance there is a report that such products do not fit with the information provided on the packaging / label due to the fact that the raw materials are sourced from different products / geographical origin, having different quality or the Coffee has been mixed with low quality coffee to increase the production volume of the producers, they will be held responsible for their act.

This applies not only to coffee products, but is also extended to all registered GI products in the Indonesian Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DGIP), Ministry of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia. This is used to prevent unlawful practice done by the unfaithful producers in the course of trade.

Law on Consumer Protection (Law No. 8 of 1999) gives the authority to the National Consumer Protection Agency (Its office is in the Ministry of Trade Building at Ridwan Rais Street No. 5) to disseminate the concept of consumer protection including the punishment rules on violation towards said law.

Specifically for GI-based commodities, Law on Trademark and Geographical Indication (Law No. 20 of 2016) also contains specified criminal provisions on unlawful attribution on GI names upon any products and/or promotional materials that does not fit the standards set out in the Description Document on Geographical Indication (known better as “The GI Book”).

Gees .. I don’t follow .. Can you make it simpler?

You deserve to get the content of a product, in line with the quality that has been mentioned on the products’ label by the producers.

So, if a label mentions “Gayo Coffee”, then, it should be the Gayo Coffee that you will get. 

WOW!!!! How could I not know this?

We, the young entrepreneurs who run the CV. Nusantara Agro Bakula, are committed not only to do lawful businesses but we also plan to grow while disseminating the idea of consumer protection related to the GIs concept to Indonesian public.

Furthermore, we are also committed to ensure the rights of our farmers registered under the Association of GI-Products Producers (better known as “Masyarakat Perlindungan Indikasi Geografis” / MPIG). We try to ensure that in the future, every product claiming the specialty of any GI products will be in accordance with the prevailing regulations, and the raw materials are sourced directly to the farmers association as the rightful right holders of said GI.

Our existence will create not only a better ecosystem that gives more attention towards our consumers rights in Indonesia but also to disseminate this concept gradually to our public including to protect stakeholders in GI-based products businesses. Through our business core, we also actively participate to promote GI-based commodities to the International market, using the rightful means of claiming the specialty of our products in accordance with the prevailing laws in Indonesia.

SO? More of our products will be soon available in the nearest store in your town and in Indonesian-owned or asian stores in foreign countries near your area! We will promote our premium Indonesian products to every corner of Indonesia as well as to every countries around the globe!

Insyallah!