New Delhi: India is working to boost its farm export with the help of geographical identification tags which give a unique identity to these products because of the place of origin such as Scotch whisky, Darjeeling Tea or Basmati rice. While Darjeeling tea and Indian Basmati rice are known worldwide, the government is working to establish the identity of other Indian fruits and spices in the export market on the similar lines such as Shahi Litchi from Bihar, King Chilli (Naga Mirch) from Nagaland and Black Rice from Manipur and Bangalore Rose onions from Karnataka, among others.
The Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA), which was set up in 1986 through an act of Parliament to promote export of processed and fresh food and agricultural products, has been organizing virtual buyers and sellers meet through Indian missions abroad. These geographical identification tags are considered a kind of intellectual property right because of the place of origin or due to a particular way of preparation which is unique to that place.
In Maharashtra, these GI tagged products include grapes and raisins from Sangli, Nagpur Orange, Dahanu Gholvad Chikoo, Marathwada Kesar Mango and Jalgaon Banana. Similarly, India is trying to establish GI tagged Kandhamal Turmeric from Odisha and Bangalore Rose Onion from Karnataka, Surkha Guava from Allahabad and Kalanamak Rice from Uttar Pradesh, Madurai Malli from Tamil Nadu in the global market. In the case of Bihar, the APEDA is trying to establish Zardalu Mango from the state and Shahi Litchi from Muzaffarpur in the world market. Other notable products include Bangalore Rose Onion, GI-tagged Bhalia wheat, Madurai Malli, Bardhaman Mihidana and Sitabhog from West Bengal, Vazhakulam Pineapple, and GI tagged Marayoor Jaggery.
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GI tagged products from north-east
The government is giving a lot of thrust to market GI tagged agriproducts from north-eastern states in the world market such as Manipur Black Rice (Chak-Hao) and Manipur Kachai Lemon, Mizo Chilli, Arunachal Orange, which is marketed on the lines of Nagpur Orange from Maharashtra, and Meghalaya Khasi Mandarin, Assam Kaji Nemu, Karbi Anglong Ginger, Joha Rice and Tripura Queen Pineapple. India is trying to build the brand image of these products abroad so that they can have a ready market and a loyal user base across the globe.
Making inroads in world market
Notable shipments of GI tagged products last year included export of Naga Mircha (King Chilli) from Nagaland to the United Kingdom and also Black Rice from Manipur and Assam to the country. India also exported Assam Lemon to the UK and Italy last year. Similarly, three GI tagged varieties of Mango (Fazli, Khirsapati, and Laxmanbhog) from West Bengal and one GI variety of Mango (Zardalu) from Bihar were shipped to Bahrain and Qatar in the Middle East.
India also sent a sample shipment of Joynagar Moa, a sweetmeat delicacy from South 24 Pargana district in West Bengal, to Bahrain from Kolkata airport. Indian farmers received subsequent orders from Bahrain after the shipment of the sample. In a major thrust to exports of GI-tagged products from Bihar, the first shipment of 524 kilogram of GI tagged Shahi Litchi was exported from Muzaffarpur district of Bihar to London in May 2021. Similarly, the country exported GI tagged Banaganapalle Mango from Andhra Pradesh to South Korea last year.
