On the other hand, Jamdani saree was given GI status as the first product in Bangladesh in November 2006. Since then, DPDT has granted GI recognition to a total of 31 products in the country.
Fahmida Khatoon, executive director of the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), expressed fears that if Bangladesh fails to protect its own GI products then others may usurp intellectual property rights.
“We will lose national culture, traditions and markets. Granting GI recognition and running promotional campaigns is a continuous process and requires a separate GI unit equipped with skilled manpower.