KARACHI: Pakistan has lost many business opportunities due to non-registration of trademarks of its indigenous products, such as basmati rice, mango and citrus, the president of Lasbela Chamber of Commerce and Industry said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a workshop organised by the chamber in collaboration with Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda), Ismail Suttar said that by not getting registration of indigenous products under trademark laws, the country has sustained heavy losses because many markets were captured by our competitors whose products were sometimes of inferior quality.

Mr Suttar drew the attention of the business community, investors, artists and artisans to get registration of their products which are unique in the world, such as industrial designs, literary work and indigenous artistic work like minibus art and truck art.

He said the Balochi embroidery and other traditional dresses and work in Pakistan were quite unique and were liked in the world market. The same was the case with produces like basmati rice, different varieties of mango, citrus fruits and other agriculture and livestock produce, he said.

All these products could earn manifold foreign exchange once they are registered and protected under patent, copyright, trademark and other related laws, he added.

Earlier, trademark expert Ali Kabir Shah discussed various aspects of intellectual property rights and related laws.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2017