Geographical indications of Turkey and their efficient use in Turkish economy

Geographical Indications are exceptional products that are centered in a country, rarely all across, and often in a limited area depending on natural and human geographical conditions. In this respect, as these products are precious products that can be obtained in a very limited area in the world, the need to protect them in various ways has emerged. In this context, Geographical Indication implementation is a system of protection of the product, the manufacturer and the consumer, which includes certain law enforcement. As a matter of fact, the products in question are of high value as well as their rareness and correspondingly, these are the products that need to be put under protection. If the implementation in question is brought into force, the products in this scope provide high income to the economy of the country in which they are produced, especially to the producer. This income can also occur as an indirect sale under tourism activities as well as in the result of direct sales of the product. In addition, the fact that a significant portion of the products in this scope has sentimental value because of their place in the folklore of local people should be stated. In this respect, it should also be stated that the products in the scope of the Geographical Indication have material and nonmaterial values. Although the Geographical Indication implementation has a long-established history, it could gain a very serious extent in Turkey and in many countries of the world, especially with the 2000s. In Turkey, virtually in 1996, in the period that begins with the Sümer Carpet Inc.'s initiative with carpets and rugs, and duration till the end of 2018 Van Herby Cheese's time to be Geographical Indication, there are a total of 394 products that Geographical Indication registration made. The products in question include craft products, agricultural products, foods and a variety of exceptional products. The process that virtually in implementation for more than 20 years in Turkey, experiencing almost a Geographical Indication grabbing race between provinces especially in recent years and that Turkey is making efforts to overcome a thousand of Geographical Indications has gained a remarkable dimension. This largely unhealthy development in the implementation of Geographical Indications and problems in implementation has led us to do research on this issue. In this research, the general characteristics of the implementation, functioning in different countries, the current situation in Turkey has been demonstrated to be present at the end of the 5-year study. During this period, fieldwork was carried out in 65 provinces, 228 districts, and 304 locations, and a survey was conducted with 848 people and more than 1.000 products were examined on site. According to the obtained results it was explained the current situation in Turkey's Geographical Indication implementation and needs to be done are handled separately within certain product groups.