Arakan manufacturers suffer delays in trademark registration and applying for FDA certificates

By DMG 24 Dec 2022

DMG Newsroom
24 December 2022, Sittwe

Local manufacturers in Arakan State are experiencing lengthy delays in registering trademarks and getting health certificates for their products.

“We have to wait for a long time to register our trademarks. We have to apply for registration in Naypyidaw, and it requires travel and accommodation expenses,” said manufacturer Ko Nyi Nyi.

The lengthy registration process means manufacturers are facing delays in distributing their products to the market.

A weaving business owner who asked for anonymity said: “Suppose we filed a patent for a design, but we can’t say it is our design until the patent is granted. There were times when our designs were exposed during the registration process and someone else got a patent for our designs.”

Fruit jam manufacturer Ma Swe Swe Myint said it took more than two months for her to get certificates from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“It was a long process. They first came and checked the manufacturing process to see if we follow good manufacturing practices. They also conduct lab tests to check the safety of products. It took more than two months. I don’t want to sell illegally, and so I had to wait,” said Ma Swe Swe Myint.

DMG was unable to obtain comment from the Arakan State FDA about the reported delays in trademark registration and in processing applications for FDA certificates.

Local manufacturers must have registered trademarks and FDA certificates if they are to sell their products at home and abroad, said Ma Hay Mar San, owner of the Hein Shwe Yaung beverage business.

“Local products certified by the FDA can be sold in other parts of the country. They can also be exported,” she explained.