Etikoppaka softwood-lacquer ware toys from Visakhapatnam district and Durgi stone works of Guntur district will soon find place in the Geographical Identification (GI) list.
The Andhra Pradesh Technology Development and Promotion Centre (APTDC), an autonomous body promoted by the Andhra Pradesh government, the Confederation of the Indian Industry (CII) and the Central government’s department of science and technology, have added these two products to the list of its GI filings this year.
Karnataka, with 32 products, tops the list, followed by Tamil Nadu (24), Andhra Pradesh (22) and Kerala (20). GI is a name or sign used on certain products, which corresponds to a specific geographical location of origin. The use of a GI may act as a certification that the product possesses certain qualities; is made as per traditional methods; or enjoys a certain reputation of origin.
It will take at least two years for the GI Registry in Chennai to grant the GI tag to these products, said APTDC Counsellor-IPR and registered patent agent Subhajit Saha. The APDTC, which is the nodal agency for facilitating commercialisation of innovative products, has so far facilitated the filing of about 25 products from the state, of which 20 have obtained the GI tag, he said. It had even facilitated five products getting GI from outside the state.
“APTDC is presently studying Nellore district’s famous Udayagiri wooden cutlery, Kurnool district’s Allagadda stone carving, Warangal’s woven daris, Machilipatnam imitation jewellery, Narasapuram handmade crochet lace products, Kakinada khaja sweet and many more products from the state for GI registration,” he said.
Hyderabad biryani and Banginapalli mangoes have been sent for GI tag and the process is in an advanced stage, he said and added that there are more than 500 products in the state which could be provided with GI tag.
Recognition and protection allow the community of producers to invest in maintaining the specific qualities of the products on which their reputation is built. It may also allow them to invest together in promoting the reputation of the product, he said.
“GI tag is mainly used to identify agricultural, handicraft and other goods from a particular territory which has developed a goodwill in the market due to the special characteristics associated with it; for example, Darjeeling tea and Pochampalli ikat,” he said.
The GI tag helps the product with a unique status and recognisation in the market and helps boost its sales, he said. “We are even asking stores to create separate enclosure for GI tag products so that people could identify them easily. We want the government to include GI villages in the tour programmes of the Tourism Department,” he said.
Earlier, only handicraft products used to have GI registration, but of late, a lot of natural products and food items are also coming for GI, he said.