To help farmers secure premium pricing and gain access to global markets for their unique products, the agriculture ministry has urged states to take proactive measures. These include setting up nodal agencies at the state and district levels to identify and register more products, creating specialised marketing platforms, and exploring financial assistance through various central sector schemes.
In an official communication, the ministry emphasised that each state must establish a dedicated nodal department or agency responsible for identifying potential GI tag candidates.
States have also been encouraged to collaborate with agriculture, horticulture and food processing departments to develop targeted marketing strategies for GI-tagged products, leveraging online platforms and e-commerce for wider reach.
A geographical indication (GI) tag is granted to products whose reputation and uniqueness are directly linked to their place of origin. It helps preserve their identity, provides legal protection against infringement.
Since the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, came into effect in September 2003, 242 agricultural products have been granted GI certification. These incluse–Basmati rice, Darjeeling tea, Kangra tea, Guntur Sannam Chilli, Nagpur orange, Kashmir Saffron and Sangli Turmeric.
In total, 658 products across categories such as manufacturing, handicrafts, food, and agriculture have been registered with the GI registry under the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT).
In a detailed note, the agriculture ministry suggested giving preference to farmer producer organisations (FPOs), farmers’ cooperatives, producers’ groups, agricultural technology management agencies, and agriculture produce market committees (APMCs) as proprietors, applicants, or co-applicants for GI registration.
“Establishing robust systems for GI tagging at the state and union territory levels will help protect unique crop varieties and processed produce while preserving the cultural and geographical identity of agro-products,” the ministry’s communication stated.
Several agriculture and processed food products are in process of getting GI tag and still there is a huge potential for identifying such produce products and seeking GI tag, Devesh Chaturvedi, secretary, ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare has stated in a communication to chief secretaries of states and union territories.
GI of goods, 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.
A GI tag can be issued for agricultural, natural or manufactured goods that have a unique quality, reputation or other characteristics attributable to its geographical origin.