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CORBANA
seeks
to
protect
the
prestige
of
Costa
Rican
fruit
The
International
Bureau
of
World
Intellectual
Property
Organization
(WIPO)
awarded
the
Certificate
of
Registration,
by
which
the
geographical
indication
"Bananas
from
Costa
Rica"
was
registered
under
the
Lisbon
Agreement,
relative
to
the
Protection
of
Appellations
of
Origin
and
their
Registration.
"Bananas
from
Costa
Rica"
was
established
in
the
first
geographical
indication
registered
in
Costa
Rica,
which
makes
it
the
first
Latin
American
country
with
a
geographical
indication
for
bananas.
In
addition,
at a
WIPO
level,
it
is
the
first
geographical
indication
that
has
been
presented,
processed
and
recorded.
The
GI
has
an
important
role
in
international
markets,
especially
in
the
European
Union,
by
informing
consumers
about
product
origin,
quality
and
reputation,
as
well
as a
competitive
tool,
because
it
will
highlight
the
added
value
by
differentiation.
It
is
expected
that
the
fruit
will
be
listed
better,
so
as
to
recognize
the
efforts
of
farmers
at
an
environmental
and
social
level,
said
Jorge
Sauma
Aguilar,
General
Manager
of
the
National
Banana
Corporation
(CORBANA
SA).
The
registration
at
WIPO
is
transcendental
because
it
will
protect
the
prestige
of
the
"Bananas
from
Costa
Rica",
given
by
the
way
it
is
produced,
factors
that
make
a
fruit
socially
and
ethically
responsible.
Part
of
the
economic
and
social
impact
of
the
banana
industry
in
Costa
Rica,
is
the
generation
of
40,000
direct
jobs
and
100,000
indirect
ones,
which
translates
to
about
6.6%
of
the
economically
active
population
of
the
country.
During
2010
it
generated
USD$745
million
in
foreign
exchange
for
7.8%
of
total
exports
and
one
third
of
agriculture
exports.
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