There are 417 registered Geographical Indication (GI) products in India

Darjeeling Tea and Basmati Rice may be the two most popular Geographical Indications (GI)-tagged agricultural products of India but the past few years have seen many more heading to new export destinations.

The Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) has been facilitating trial shipments into new global markets for products such as Kala Namak rice, Naga Mircha, Assam Kaji Nemu and Bangalore Rose Onion.

Export of other produce like Nagpur Oranges, GI varieties of Mangoes, GI-tagged Shahi Litchi, Bhalia wheat, Madurai Malli, Bardhaman Mihidana and Sitabhog, Dahanu Gholvad Sapota, Jalgaon Banana, Vazhakulam Pineapple, and Marayoor Jaggery are also being promoted.

As on date, there are 417 registered GI products and of them, around 150 GI tagged products are agricultural and food products, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said on Thursday.

Of these, more than 100 registered GI products fall under the category of APEDA scheduled products (Cereals, Fresh Fruits and vegetables, processed products, etc).

A Geographical Indication (GI) is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.

The Ministry of Commerce & Industry also shared details of exports of GI products in the recent past.

* Notable shipments of GI products in 2021 included export of Naga Mircha (King Chilli) from Nagaland to UK, Black Rice from Manipur and Assam to the United Kingdom, Assam Lemon to the United Kingdom and Italy, three GI varieties of Mango (Fazli, Khirsapati, and Laxmanbhog) from West Bengal and one GI variety of Mango (Zardalu) from Bihar to Bahrain and Qatar.

* Around 30 kgs of a sample shipment of Joynagar Moa, a sweetmeat delicacy from South 24 Pargana district of West Bengal was sent via Kolkata airport to Bahrain, the ministry informed. Subsequent to the sample shipment, further orders for Joynagar Moa were received from Bahrain.

* The first shipment of 524 Kg GI tagged Shahi Litchi was exported from Muzaffarpur district of Bihar to London in May 2021.

* The year also witnessed the export of GI tagged Banaganapalle Mango from Andhra Pradesh to South Korea.

* In June 2021, the season’s first shipment of 1048 kg GI Tagged Malihabadi Dusseheri Mango was exported from Lucknow to the United Kingdom and UAE.

GI products from other regions include Sangli raisins, Nagpur Orange, Dahanu Gholvad Chikoo, Marathwada Kesar Mango, Jalgaon Banana from Maharashtra, Kandhamal Turmeric from Odisha and Bangalore Rose Onion from Karnataka, Allahabad Surkha Guava, Kalanamak Rice from Uttar Pradesh, and Madurai Malli from Tamil Nadu.

To promote the unique GI Products from the North Eastern Region such as Manipur Black Rice (Chak-Hao), Manipur Kachai Lemon, Mizo Chilli, Arunachal Orange, Meghalaya Khasi Mandarin, Assam Kaji Nemu, Karbi Anglong Ginger, Joha Rice, and Tripura Queen Pineapple, Centre through APEDA has been organising buyer-seller meets, conducting awareness and capacity building workshops, the ministry pointed out.

In 2020, virtual buyer-seller meets were organized with UAE and USA, two of the largest export markets for APEDA scheduled products, in association with the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi and the Embassy of India in Washington DC.