Paksong Tea Promotion Association Receives Tea Brewing Equipment to Boost Local Industry.

Paksong: A ceremony was conducted on November 26, 2024, to present tea brewing equipment to the Paksong Tea Promotion Association at their office in Ban Lak 35, Paksong District, Champasak Province. The event was attended by notable figures such as Mr. Saysomphet Norlasing, Director of the Intellectual Property Department, Ministry of Industry and Commerce; Mr. Aphivath Sombounkhan, Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Industry and Commerce; Ms. Ara Cho, Deputy Director of the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO); and Mr. Sengthong Manisap, President of the Paksong Tea Promotion Association. According to Lao News Agency, this initiative is part of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and Champasak Province, initiated in 2022. The Department of Intellectual Property underscores the significance of developing Lao tea products, focusing on their potential to boost both domestic and international exports. Their strategy involves leveraging intellectual prop erty, technology in production, branding, and national origin registration to support these products. The Korean government has proposed an Intellectual Property Sharing (IP Sharing) project aimed at enhancing tea leaf processing, with a particular focus on developing tea processing equipment and branding Paksong tea. In 2023, a grant from the Korean government was allocated to this development in Laos, appointing the Korea Innovation Promotion Association as the project manager and the Paksong Tea Promotion Association as the beneficiary. Experts from the project visited Laos thrice to collect data and design a tea steaming machine for the Paksong Tea Promotion Association. The project provided five tea leaf pressing machines, one tea leaf roasting machine, and assistance in designing trademarks, packaging, and marketing strategies for Paksong Tea. The machinery installation has been completed, and the trademark design for Paksong tea products has also been finalized. The Department of Intellectual Proper ty is devoted to fostering an environment where intellectual property stimulates innovation, technology, and socio-economic growth in Laos. This aligns with their vision for 2030, which includes promoting intellectual property usage in education, research institutes, and enterprises across various sectors, such as industry, agriculture, trade, and culture. A primary goal is to enhance intellectual property registrations to foster innovation and add value to Lao products, enabling their entry into international markets.