The Tobacco Institute of the Dominican Republic, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs, the Association of Dominican Cigar Manufacturers (PROCIGAR), the Export and Investment Center of the DR (PRODOMINICANA), the Dominican Institute for Quality (INDOCAL), and the National Office of Industrial Property (ONAPI) created the “Regulatory Council of the Geographical Indication (GI) ‘Dominican Cigar’.”
Said council will be chaired by the director of INTABACO and was created with the objective of raising excellence standards, protecting tradition, and guaranteeing the authenticity of the country’s flagship product, a leader in exports.
Iván Hernández Guzmán, director of INTABACO, reported that other main functions of said body are to defend, promote, and control the quality of cigars that hold this distinction.
Hernández Guzmán highlighted that its constitution represents a historic step to safeguard the international prestige of the Dominican cigar, ensuring that each unit complies with the processes, production zones, and organoleptic characteristics that define its typicality.
While Nestor Julio Matos, director of INDOCAL, said that the Regulatory Council of the Geographical Indication (GI) “Dominican Cigar” will be the guarantor of consumer confidence and will oversee the application of the Dominican Standards (NORDOM 481 and 482), it will provide rigorous monitoring of the entire process of tobacco planting, harvesting, cigar manufacturing, packaging, and storage, to ensure that the final consumer receives a product of the highest quality, authentically Dominican.
More Read
Matos pointed out that “The implementation of this Geographical Indication not only protects our cultural and agricultural heritage, but also establishes a technical framework necessary for competitiveness in global markets, according to the statutes of the regulation”.
While Ciro Cascella, president of PROCIGAR, highlighted that with the entry into force of this regulation, the Dominican tobacco sector aligns itself with the best international practices for origin protection.
Cascella added that the Regulatory Council will not only oversee compliance with the standards, but will also promote the country brand, support commercialization, and offer constant training to registered operators.
More Read
Meanwhile, the director of ONAPI, Salvador Ramos, indicated that the creation of this organization is a testament to the joint effort between the State and the private sector to preserve the legacy of the Dominican cigar, protecting it against the misuse of names and terms that could lead to confusion in the market.
The members of the “Regulatory Council of the Geographical Indication (GI) ‘Dominican Cigar’” were sworn in by the director of INTABACO, Iván Hernández Guzmán. Also participating were Valentino Vásquez, from ONAPI; Gianna Franjul, representative of Industry and Commerce; Ivette Reyes, Commercial director of INTABACO; Isidro Tavares, Agricultural director; Tirso Ramírez, head of Research, and other members of the sector.
More about the Regulatory Council
The Regulatory Council of the Geographical Indication (GI) “Dominican Cigar” was created under the protection of Law 20-00 on Industrial Property and Law 34-18 of INTABACO, and is composed of a multisectoral representation that guarantees balanced, transparent management, which will work hand in hand with representatives of productive sectors, manufacturers, and exporters.
INDOCAL and ONAPI will act as conformity assessment and legal support entities, ensuring the technical integrity of the certifications.
For more information on the registration and benefits of this certification, interested parties may visit the INTABACO offices.
