Bahrain first nation to receive GI-tagged Mihidana sweet from West Bengal

GI-tagged sweet dish Mihidana, sourced from Bardhaman, West Bengal, has been exported to the Kingdom of Bahrain. More consignments of the unique sweet dish would be exported to Bahrain during the forthcoming Diwali festival.

New Delhi: In an effort to promote indigenous and Geographical Identification (GI) tagged products, the first consignment of GI-tagged sweet dish Mihidana sourced from Bardhaman, West Bengal, has been exported to the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The consignment of the unique sweet dish Mihidana was exported to Bahrain by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). The sweet dish from West Bengal is being displayed (also provided for tasting purposes) to consumers at Aljazira superstores in Bahrain. More consignments of the unique sweet dish would be exported to Bahrain during the forthcoming Diwali festival.

Recently, India Post in collaboration with APEDA released a specially designed envelope for the packaging to commemorate the historical legacy of a century-old sweet delicacy and GI certified - Jaynagarer Moa, which is prepared from popped-rice ball and fresh date-palm jaggery, in Jaynagar, West Bengal. In January 2021, a consignment of Jaynagar Moa was exported to the Kingdom of Bahrain, by APEDA registered M/s DM Enterprises, Kolkata.

APEDA has been focusing on increasing lesser-known, indigenous, and GI-tagged food products from the country. In August 2021, India Post released a special cover on West Bengal's sweetmeats Mihidana and Sitabhog. West Bengal’s Bardhaman got the GI tag for the century-old sweetmeats in 2017.

A GI tag is a sign denoting a specific geographical origin and possesses qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. GI, a form of intellectual property right (IPR), is distinct from other forms of IPR, as it ascribes the exclusivity to the community in a defined geography, rather than to an individual, as is in the case of trademarks and patents.

APEDA has been carrying out promotional activities to bring unique and GI-certified products to the agricultural and processed food products export map of India. APEDA provides assistance to set up packhouses across states, which would fulfill the mandatory requirement or infrastructure for the export of fresh fruits and vegetables to the international market.