Thailand has finally achieved its goal of registering at least one geographical indication product for each of the country’s 77 provinces

After successful registration of the ‘Ekkarat Drum’ of Ang Thong province on 22 June 2021, Thailand has finally succeeded in its goal to have geographical indication (GI) registrations covering all 77 provinces in the country.

The ‘Ekkarat Drum’ or ‘Klong Ekkarat’ as named in its GI registration originates in the drum-making Ekkarat Subdistrict, Pa Mok District of Ang Thong province. Ekkarat Drums have been produced here since 1927 and require special crafting skills as well as local rain tree wood and particular cowhides to make them. They are crafted in different sizes and styles, made with traditional processes and knowledge of local people. For the bigger size drums, they even use the whole trunk of a rain tree, which is then hollowed as a single piece and further polished by hand.

Over recent years, the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) has been pushing and encouraging for more local GI registrations, which is in line with its goal to register at least one GI product for each province in Thailand under the national campaign “One Province, One Geographical Indication”.

The DIP commenced the GI registration system in2004 under the Geographical Indication Protection Act B.E. 2546 (2003), and the Ministry of Commerce and the DIP have been very supportive in the registration of GIs for local products during this period. GI protection allows local producers to identify their products based on geographical location or origin, and to preserve their uniqueness. A GI product can serve as an effective tool that creates and enhances value to a local product, while also increasing competitiveness among the local producers. This has been beneficial for greater commercialisation of GI products in Thailand, especially in conjunction with Thailand’s tourism industry.

Currently, there are around 150 local GI registrations which cover all 77 provinces of Thailand. Mr. Vuttikrai Leewiraphan, the Director-General of DIP, said that the DIP will continue promoting GI registrations and there are still various pending GI registration requests under the examination process. Thus, it is expected that there will be many more GI products successfully registered by the end of this year. He also said that the department will continue to offer support to entrepreneurs to develop packaging for their GI products and expand their markets through both the online and offline platforms.