Requeijão de Santa Bárbara-BA: potencialidades e desafios para o reconhecimento de indicação geográfica.

Abstract

The Geographical Indications (GI) offer the consumer the opportunity to purchase products with Identification of Origin while giving the producing region the possibility of adding value to the product and consequent territorial development. The GIs are an intellectual property asset and are regulated nationally by Law No. 9,279, of May 14, 1996, the regulatory framework for Industrial Property in Brazil. The recognition of a GI deals with the registration of a condition that already exists, due to the verification of the existence of the notoriety of the place related to a product or, in the case of Brazil, also a service. However, it is necessary to comply with the relevant legislation, as well as the recommendations of good practices, in order to provide better quality and safety to products and/or services and production processes. In addition, innovation must be an ally of tradition, especially with regard to the production of safe food. The municipality of Santa Bárbara, Bahia, located in the context of the Portal do Sertão identity territory, gained notoriety for producing cottage cheese in an artisanal way, presenting potential for a possible Geographical Indication. Thus, the objective of this research was to evaluate the feasibility of registering a Geographical Indication for cottage cheese produced in the municipality of Santa Bárbara-BA, identifying the potentialities and challenges in the light of the Methodology of the Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae) for the Identification of Potential Brazilian Geographical Indications. The Sebrae Methodology is composed of 30 items, within critical and structural criteria, which supported the construction of a Conclusive Technical Report on the possible recognition of the GI, in the Indication of Origin (IO) modality, for the artisanal cheese of Santa Bárbara-BA. The research was exploratory and descriptive, since there are few studies on the aforementioned cottage cheese and on its possibility of requesting registration for GI recognition. The approach was qualitative, and, for the survey of primary data, field visits, conversation circles and the adoption of a Google Forms questionnaire were carried out. Secondary data were obtained through bibliographic search, using the consultation of various databases, institutional repositories, government websites and legislation. Topics related to GI registration, the curd and milk production chain, seals of artisanal products, as well as characteristics of the municipality and the Portal do Sertão territory are addressed. As a result, the study of the scenario of the artisanal cheese production chain in Santa Bárbara-BA pointed out as one of the biggest challenges the need for interaction between local producers and the COAFASB Cooperative, which can appear as a procedural substitute capable of submitting the application for registration of GI with the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI). On the other hand, potentials capable of contributing to the search for adding value to the product and the preservation of the culture and tradition of the municipality were identified. In summary, this research demonstrated that the artisanal cheese of Santa Bárbara-BA has the potential to be recognized as a Geographical Indication, through the necessary adjustments and provided for in the relevant legislation, as well as overcoming the biggest bottleneck, which is the lack of engagement between producers and the interaction with the COAFASB Cooperative. In view of the above, this research, among other benefits, aims to contribute to the strengthening of the artisanal cheese and milk production chain, by stimulating the formalization of the production of artisanal cheese and improving the quality of the product, which may provide an increase in employability in the agricultural sector and the incentive to public policies, such as the Food Acquisition Program (PAA).