The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) plans to hold roadshows, car shows, product demonstrations and free product trials for products tagged with Geographical Indications (GI), as part of the plan
“This is a part of a larger plan to explore the export potential of GI products,” a government official told ET.
As of July, 420 products were granted GI registration, of which around 150 GI-tagged products are agricultural and food products, and almost 240 are handicrafts and handloom.
The DPIIT wants to promote these in a focussed manner and an extensive plan is being drawn up on the lines of One-District One-Product scheme to provide much-needed support for their exports.
Celebration of GI Day, GI fair and a GI awareness campaign are also being discussed to develop a premium brand for Indian GI products and promote them as niche items having their reputation linked with the geographic region to which they belong.
India has exported Naga Mircha (King Chilli) from Nagaland, Black Rice from Manipur and Assam Lemon to the UK, three GI varieties of Mango (Fazli, Khirsapati, and Laxman Bhog) from West Bengal and one GI variety of Mango (Zardalu) from Bihar to Bahrain and Qatar.
DPIIT plans to rope in professional agencies for the GIs of India programme, and onboard brand ambassadors and influencers from celebrities and renowned personalities.