Tea Board clarifies article on GI application

Monday, 3 August 2026 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

With reference to the news article titled “Yet to receive GI application for Ceylon Tea: NIPO” published in the Daily FT on 27 July 2026, the Sri Lanka Tea Board has sent the following clarification.

“We believe that this statement, when read without the broader context of the Ceylon Tea Geographical Indication (GI) initiative, may unintentionally create the impression that the Sri Lanka Tea Board has not commenced or pursued the GI registration process in Sri Lanka. As you are aware, this does not accurately reflect the considerable progress made over the past several years.

The Sri Lanka Tea Board has already submitted the application for GI protection for Ceylon Tea to the European Union (EU), and the application is currently at its final stage of evaluation. At the same time, the Tea Board has actively worked with the National Intellectual Property Office and other stakeholders in developing the domestic legal framework required for the implementation of the GI system in Sri Lanka.

Furthermore, Ceylon Tea is already protected as a Certification Mark under Class 30 in terms of the Intellectual Property Act, No. 36 of 2003.

As discussed, and agreed among the relevant stakeholders, including the National Intellectual Property Office, and based on the guidance provided by the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), the technical expert supporting the EU GI registration process, the domestic GI application was intentionally planned to be submitted after the completion of the EU registration process. The

The NIPO is fully aware of this implementation process, as the DG of NIPO is a member of the EU GI project steering committee. This sequencing formed part of the agreed implementation strategy and followed the same approach adopted for the registration of Ceylon Cinnamon.

In this context, the statement reported in the Daily FT does not fully reflect the agreed process or the status of the Ceylon Tea GI initiative. Given the national importance of this project, it may inadvertently lead to misunderstandings regarding the work undertaken jointly by the Sri Lanka Tea Board, the National Intellectual Property Office, and other stakeholders.

The domestic legal framework for GI implementation has been developed with the active participation of the Sri Lanka Tea Board, the National Intellectual Property Office, and other relevant stakeholders.
In accordance with the agreed implementation strategy, and based on the advice of the CIRAD, the domestic GI application was intended to be submitted after the completion of the EU registration process.

The Sri Lanka Tea Board values the close cooperation and support extended by the National Intellectual Property Office throughout this important initiative. We remain committed to continuing this collaboration in successfully completing both the international and domestic GI registration processes for Ceylon Tea."