IPR Center FH UII Accompanies Geographical Indication Registration “Mete Gunung Sewu”

Kotabaru (21/01/2017) Cashew nut or “mete” is a food product that has a very potential market in the world, based on record the cashew rotation is around 88,000 tons per year. Indonesia as one of the cashew producers has a big contribution to distribute of cashew, in 1997 Indonesia was able to produce 29,666 tons of cashew logs worth USD 19,151,503. The real unique name of the cashew nut as the forerunner of the cashew is that it can only bear good fruit on barren plains. However, this is the hidden wisdom behind the aridity of some dry areas such as West Nusa Tenggara, Central Sulawesi, Wonogiri and Gunung Kidul, Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY).

In DIY, cashew is one of the commodities produced and cultivated by several areas in Gunung Sewu consisting of; Gunung Kidul and Wonogiri. Gunung Sewu. Cashew has its own characteristics and speciallity, which consist of physical characteristic with a smooth glossy white color and a hard texture, a crunchy, sweet and savory taste, as well as a distinctive chemical content because it has a causal relationship between the geographical environment and human treatment. Thus, it is fitting that the Gunung Sewu Cashew should receive protection from the aspect of Intellectual Property Rights in the form of Geographical Indications (GI)

1^st Illustration area of Mete Gunung Sewu

On the basis of this potential, several community formed the Gunung Sewu Cashew Geographical Indication Protection Society (Masyarakat Perlindungan Indikasi Geografis /MPIG) which is now chaired by Sudarto. The establishment of the institution began in 2014 and was facilitated by the Gunung Kidul Forestry and Plantation Service, the DIY Plantation Service and the Wonogiri Regency Plantation Service with the purpose to obtain the geographic indication protection for the “Mete Gunung Sewu”.

The IPR Center Faculty of Law UII has been asked by MPIG Mete Gunung Sewu to prepare everything related to the requirements for GI registration and carry out monitoring activities for the registration of GI at the Directorate General of Intellectual Property Rights, this certification is expected so that legal rules can guarantee and protect the rights of the people of Gunung Sewu. Moreover, Mete Gunung Sewu is one of the cashew suppliers from Indonesia which has a large market in the international cashew trade.

According to Budi Agus Riswandi, as consultant of IPR registered and also as the Executive Director of the IPR FH UII Center, the application for registration of the geographical indication of the Mete Gunung Sewu is carried out through the preparation, registration and monitoring stages of the registration process, and issuance of certificates. According to him, currently the registration of the Gunung Sewu cashew is entering the registration stage. According to the Forestry and Plantation Service, Ibu Budi, it is hoped that in 2017 the registration process for the geographical indication of the Gunung Sewu cashew can be completed immediately.

2^nd illustration Logo Georapical Indication of Mete Gunung Sewu

In the end, by accompaniment in the registration geographical indication of the Mete Gunung Sewu, the IPR Center FH UII was able to provide assistance for the geographical indication of seven superior products. Cashew Gunung Sewu is the seventh product that is assisted for registration of geographical indications (Dio)