Bulgarian rose oil has been registered under the Geneva Act in the International Register of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), caretaker Deputy Minister of Agriculture Georgi Sabev on Thursday during a conference on "Geographical indications for agricultural and non-agricultural products -challenges and changes", organized by the Patent Office on the International Intellectual Property Day. Sabev joined the event online ahead of his participation in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) meeting in Paris.
Rose oil is the first Bulgarian agricultural product to be included in the WIPO register. This ensures even better promotion and protection, Sabev said, expressing hope that other Bulgarian products will soon join it on the IP list.
The Ministry of Agriculture has concentrated efforts in support of Bulgarian producers of distinct quality foods and drinks, including those with geographical indications, by providing the best possible conditions of the local and foreign markets.
Sabev added that the geographical indications sector makes a huge contribution to the European Union's economy, with annual revenues from sales of products with geographical indications exceeding EUR 75 billion, as well as 15.5% of total exports of agricultural products and drinks.