GI Tagged Products in the Global Market to the Fore

· FIEO (Federation of Indian Export Organisations) is the apex trade promotion organisation in the country

The Government has taken several proactive steps to promote the GI tagged products in the global market, the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Som Parkash said in reply to a parliamentary question on 10 February, 2023.

The Directorate General of foreign Trade (DGFT) is the agency of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Government of India, responsible for execution of the import and export Policies of India with the main objective of promoting India's exports. DGFT plays a very important role in the development of trading relations with various other nations.

Further, the Government has established various Export Promotion Councils (EPCs) to cater to the speciﬁc requirements of diﬀerent export products and thus, to help and assist Indian exporters by providing access to international markets, promoting Indian products through various activities and increasing the overall exports from India. The councils are formed as non-proﬁt organizations under the Companies Act / Societies Registration Act. In addition to these councils, some export industries have Commodity Boards and Export Development Authorities which were set up through special Acts passed in the Parliament.

FIEO (Federation of Indian Export Organisations) is the apex trade promotion organisation in the country, which was set up by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the private trade and industry segment. The organisation is responsible for representing and assisting Indian entrepreneurs and exporters in foreign markets. It acts as the crucial interface between Indian exporters, Central Government, State Governments, ﬁnancial institutions, ports, railways, surface transport and other concerned stakeholders.

Among the products promoted through these export promotion organisations, there are some categories for which GI tag has been granted. List of these export promotion organisations including EPC, commodity boards, export development authorities is enclosed at Annexure-I.

Some of the initiatives taken by Government to promote the GI tag products in the global market are as under:

i. APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) has taken initiative to promote products having registered geographical indications (GI) in India by organizing Virtual Buyer Seller Meets on Agricultural and Food products GI with UAE, USA and Qatar in association with the Indian Missions.

ii. APEDA organized GI Mango Promotion Programme and Tasting Event in Belgium in association with Embassy of India, Brussels on 17th June, 2022. APEDA also facilitated GI Mango promotion Programme at Copenhagen Denmark in association with Embassy of India at Copenhagen.

iii. APEDA facilitated export of GI Products to diﬀerent destinations. Notable shipments of GI products in 2021 included export of Naga Mircha (King Chilli) from Nagaland to UK, Black Rice from Manipur 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.

iv. APEDA organized in-store promotional programmes in importing countries in association with foreign retailers to enhance exports.

v. DPIIT (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade) organized the “India Geographical Indications (GI) Fair 2022” from 26th - 28th August, 2022 through Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) at India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida, to promote GI products in India and abroad.

vi. DPIIT recently set up a pavillion for GI products in India International Trade Fair (IITF), Delhi from November 14th to 27th, 2022.

vii. DPIIT organized various GI Promotion Programmes/Exhibitions/ Conferences/ Buyer Seller Meets/ Workshops with focus on GI Products to boost its sale in India as well abroad.

Annexure-I

List of some of the export promotion organisations in the country which includes products that have got GI tag, is as under: