Inside India’s race for the GI tag

Krishan Kumar’s time starts early. At 5 a.m., the artifact printer from Kaladera successful Rajasthan is up washing yards of fabric cloth to region impurities. He past mixes dabu, a paste made from achromatic clay, lime and acacia gum, to usage successful the past mud-resist printing method that 5 generations of his household person been following.

As the prima moves crossed the sky, helium sets up his printing array and proceeds to dip hand-carved woody blocks featuring section flora and fauna into the paste to people patterns connected the cloth. Hours later, aft a speedy halt for lunch, helium dyes the cloth successful ample vats; the earthy dyes utilized see the fashionable indigo with its heavy bluish colour. Depending connected the complexity of the print, helium goes implicit it respective times with paste and dye.

It is simply a laborious process, — “the cloth passes done my manus astatine slightest 25 times earlier it’s completed,” helium says — but Kumar believes its taste practice and eco-friendly quality marque it worthy the effort. However, aft days of back-breaking work, erstwhile helium takes his cloth to Jaipur, implicit an hr away, galore customers bypass his craft, which starts from ₹250 a metre, for bolts of machine-printed cloth that spell arsenic debased arsenic ₹80 per metre.

So, I recognize Kumar’s vexation erstwhile helium tells maine successful Hindi: “If artisans person to uphold their individuality successful the market, we request GI [Geographical Indication]. It benefits them and the communities who bash genuine work.”

Kumar archetypal came crossed the conception of GI and crafts IP (intellectual property) successful 2021, erstwhile Swedish manner marque H&M’s collaboration with Indian decorator Sabyasachi Mukherjee had featured digitised versions of GI-tagged Sanganeri artifact prints, with its delicate vines and paisley motifs.

News astir the collab gave information to his biggest worry: the interaction of factory-made products connected manpower-intensive crafts. “If machine-made prints mimic handblock prints, it affects artisans similar us. Machines tin bash large-scale accumulation and large brands besides complaint customers a batch more. Artisans tin neither nutrient truthful overmuch nor complaint a lot,” helium states, explaining however an artisan tin nutrient lone 50 metres a time arsenic compared to a instrumentality that tin nutrient 5,000.

The Prada effect successful India

GI is defined arsenic a tag attributed to goods produced wrong a circumstantial geographical country and which person characteristics oregon estimation tied to that region. It not lone protects the authenticity of products, but besides gives its producers economical advantages and (for artisans) a means to propulsion backmost against counterfeiting and machine-made goods camouflaging arsenic handmade crafts.

Kumar has spent the past fewer months arsenic a subordinate successful Creative Dignity’s IP Group, a collaborative web of stakeholders from the Indian handmade sector, learning much astir GI tags and however to wield it efficaciously successful his practice. “I americium trying to dispersed consciousness among my assemblage and I person besides spoken to artisans successful places similar Bagru [another large artifact printing centre successful Rajasthan that is GI tagged].”

The world contiguous is that, astatine the grassroots, precise fewer recognize the certification, its intent and efficacy. Or that, arsenic GI policies basal today, determination are galore gaps successful it — the deficiency of centralised power for one, oregon enforcement mechanisms similar that of firm IP, oregon adjacent planetary GI protection. A information that was brought to airy erstwhile Italian luxury statement Prada presented GI-tagged Kolhapuri lookalikes astatine their runway amusement successful June. Many lawsuits were filed, failing to recognize that GI is simply a home instrumentality that protects a product’s sanction and origin, but not its plan oregon style. So, brands tin mimic the look (like Prada did) without utilizing the GI-tagged sanction and not look immoderate penalties.

This is wherever State governments, entrepreneurs, and NGOs request to measurement up, not lone by addressing the gaps, but besides helping radical larn however to marque the champion of it. Especially astatine a clip erstwhile the Indian authorities is besides pushing for GI; successful January, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal announced a people of reaching 10,000 GI tags by 2030.

Despite controversies, Kumar believes that GI tags tin inactive assistance craftspeople similar him. “We are present moving to get a GI tag for dabu,” helium says. And helium is not the lone 1 seeking GI to support his community’s trade traditions. Over the past fewer years, GI tagging has turned into an diversion lawsuit with dozens of applications being filed for craft, foodstuff, and different items crossed States.

India passed The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act successful 1999. And since Darjeeling beverage received the archetypal GI tag successful 2004-05, implicit 658 goods person received the tag and respective much are successful queue.

Scope of the law

Receiving a GI tag whitethorn output quality coverage, but contention often turns connected a overmuch brighter spotlight. Rasgulla, for instance, became the taxable of quality betwixt West Bengal and Odisha successful 2017, with each State claiming the spongy saccharine for its own. Both States received chiseled GI tags (based connected texture and flavour), though it did not halt debates astir who truly owns it. India and Pakistan person been successful a tug of warfare implicit GI for basmati atom successful a quality that is playing retired successful planetary courts, adjacent portion Madhya Pradesh is petitioning to beryllium recognised arsenic the basmati- producing portion successful India.

Shwetasree Majumder, managing spouse of Fidus Law Chambers successful Noida, says that her favored peeve is with radical successful positions of power who don’t amended themselves connected the scope of the law. “Everyone is contented to opine connected GI connected the ground of their ain perception,” she says, noting that misinformation percolates down to the craftspeople and the instrumentality ends up being cited for cases wherever it doesn’t apply. For instance, Prada denied violating GI rights erstwhile a ineligible announcement was brought against. “The existent rights holders are not being educated,” Majumder adds. What GI tags assistance halt is the merchantability of counterfeit goods oregon products not made successful the specified region. What it does not warrant is idiosyncratic extortion for artisans oregon further benefits.

India presently does not person immoderate large laws for cross-border protection. In comparison, the European Union — wherever GI-tagged products see French Champagne and Dutch Gouda — ensures extortion done bilateral commercialized agreements adjacent with countries extracurricular the EU. Robust selling strategies besides guarantee that their GI tags are well-known internationally. There whitethorn beryllium galore sparkling vino varieties produced astir the world, but nary uses the word Champagne.

Why the tag matters

On the agleam side, contiguous an ecosystem has emerged crossed the state to facilitate GI tags. In Tamil Nadu, S. Vincent, subordinate caput of Tamil Nadu Council for Science and Technology (TANSCST), notes that the State is proactive. “We person instituted 40 IPR [intellectual spot rights] cells, which are fixed the work to place fashionable products successful their area. Each has to place a minimum of two,” helium says.

The assembly is besides progressive successful promotions and strategy pursuing the registration. An added benefit: the engagement of world researchers. After Kollimalai java was identified arsenic a imaginable GI merchandise earlier this year, researchers from K.S. Rangasamy College of Technology helped make an AI-powered drone to observe diseases and the geology to heighten production. Vincent gives the illustration of Kodaikanal malai poondu, a section assortment of garlic. “[Since it got the tag], the Mother Teresa Women’s University has developed a PCR-based detection kit to verify its familial authenticity, frankincense preventing adulteration. Now, determination is higher home demand, steadiness successful pricing, and farmers person started exporting it and selling it online.”

Better marketplace visibility: Uttar Pradesh has the highest fig of GIs, astatine 77, followed by Tamil Nadu, astatine 69. Across the country, “GI has enhanced marketplace visibility and user trust”, says K. Ganesh Moorthy, CEO of Madurai Agri Business Incubation Forum. For instance, successful April, Tamil Nadu was accorded certification for six products successful April, including the Panruti jackfruit and Ramanadu Chithiraikar rice. “[Since then] Panruti jackfruit has seen expanding attraction successful the home market. Farmers are present being supported to research value-added products specified arsenic jackfruit chips, flour and powder.”

Gains for farmers and artisans: Last year, a survey conducted by Symbiosis School of Economics, with the enactment of NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development), revealed that GI registration has led to important gains for artisans. “In immoderate cases, monthly incomes roseate by 20%-75%, income by up to 70%-75%, and merchandise prices by 50%-70%,” says B.R. Premi, main wide manager of Mumbai-based NABARD. “For example, artisans of Banaras gulabi meenakari [known for its delicate pinkish enamel enactment connected silver] reported a 20% emergence successful monthly incomes and astir 50% higher merchandise prices aft GI registration. The tag has besides enhanced marketplace access, with galore products uncovering abstraction successful planetary markets.”

Effective implementation

What galore bash not realise, however, is that submitting a GI exertion for reappraisal is conscionable the archetypal step. Once the tag is granted, section initiatives person to guarantee its implementation. “We request a certification assemblage successful that geographic country to corroborate an atelier oregon merchandise has followed the process listed successful the GI exertion [how it is created, made, oregon grown],” explains Ritu Sethi, founder-trustee of Delhi’s Crafts Revival Trust, who has been connected adept committees that assistance GI certificates. And specified initiatives, she says, are a rarity adjacent today.

Pashmina is an illustration of effectual implementation. The Kashmiri trade was 1 of the earliest to person a GI tag successful 2005. TAHAFUZ, an apex assemblage of artisans from Kashmir’s GI-tagged crafts, took the onus of promoting infrastructural facilities for investigating and ensuring that artisans were duly vetted and certified. Crafts and plan advisor Renuka Savasere, who was portion of the Craft Development Institute, shares that since past the fig of GI-authorised artisans has been rising. “Artisans are incentivised to marque Pashmina due to the fact that there’s an economical payment attached,” she says.

Branding and selling are key

GI registration is decidedly not the extremity of the journey. The existent interaction begins with beardown post-registration enactment — some locally and internationally. For example, wrong the upscale Novotel Hotel successful Hyderabad, Sunday brunch comes with a unrecorded objection — lac artisans making their GI-tagged bangles. For the past respective months, they person been taking diners done the process of handcrafting each portion — spreading awareness. “For the GI tag to person immoderate marketplace interaction it has to beryllium marketed arsenic such,” says Subhajit Saha, laminitis of Resolute4IP, the IP facilitation work that is helping galore trade and agriculture communities summation the coveted GI tag. “There has to beryllium marketing, branding. Only past volition the merchandise go much desirable.”

Such cognition is sorely lacking, hobbling artisans and farmers who don’t cognize however to instrumentality vantage of GI. “Limited consciousness among producers, precocious costs of earthy materials, and inadequate entree to recognition hinder the afloat imaginable of GI. Insufficient grooming successful concern and integer selling besides restricts artisans from capitalising connected caller opportunities,” agrees Premi of NABARD. He adds, however, that they person recognised the occupation and person present started focusing connected important post-GI activities specified arsenic extending selling support, gathering user awareness, and conducting grooming programmes for producers and artisans. With the Prada incidental highlighting the vulnerability of India’s accepted crafts to planetary appropriation, helium states that the adjacent measurement should beryllium for stronger planetary enforcement and amended branding. “With the close premix of ineligible safeguards, promotion, and planetary partnerships, GI products tin go almighty tools for some practice preservation and planetary marketplace success,” helium concludes.

The writer and exertion is based successful Delhi.

State of the tag

Most States person aggregate GI-tagged products. But it’s a mixed container erstwhile it comes to awareness, marketing, and accrued profits.

Telangana

During the large Ambani household wedding, quality dispersed astir a ₹2 crore bid for customised tarkasi metallic filigree work, the 400-year-old GI-tagged trade from Karimnagar, arsenic portion of the instrumentality gift. You tin prime up a Pochampally ikat sari for upwards of ₹6,000 astatine a store that brands and sells handloom saris. But are radical acceptable to wage for the GI tag’s ‘exclusivity promise’? That is the large question arsenic Telangana snags 27 GI-tagged products, with a twelve much applications successful the pipeline.

Latest GI tag: Warangal Chapata Chilli successful March 2025

A leafage from the Japanese: “We are pursuing the Japanese exemplary of ‘one colony 1 product’, and utilizing it arsenic ‘one territory 1 product’,” says Sreeha Reddy, Director for Toys Industry, GI, Government of Telangana. “We privation to make the ecosystem for identifying, fostering and selling the GI products of the state. Recently we banned each non-GI products from Shilparamam, a crafts village.” Reddy feels the adjacent question of GI products volition travel from the nutrient and agriculture sector, with universities powering the change.

Success story: “It has been 15 years since Hyderabad haleem got the GI tag. It has helped successful creating a marketplace opportunity, arsenic determination are galore akin products with akin sounding names successful different parts of the country,” says Mohammed Majeed of Pista House. “People who devour haleem during Ramzan cognize the uniqueness of the merchandise and it has helped america marketplace it successful different parts of the world.”

Tamil Nadu

The State has 69 GI tags. The number went up successful April erstwhile six products were accorded certification. And astir person proved wherefore certification matters. Kovilpatti kadalai mittai (peanut candy), for instance, increased sales from ₹75 lakh successful 2018-19 (before GI) to ₹1.1 crore successful 2020-21 (after GI), and present it has reached ₹2.05 crore successful 2024-25 with branding support.

Latest GI tag: Panruti cashew and jackfruit, Puliyankudi acerb lime, Virudhunagar samba vathal, Chettikulam tiny onion, and Ramanadu chithiraikar rice successful April 2025

Success story: “GI has enhanced marketplace visibility and user trust. For example, Cumbum paneer grapes and Kanyakumari matti banana person gained designation done the GI Mahotsav, drafting user interest,” says K. Ganesh Moorthy, enforcement manager and CEO of Madurai Agri Business Incubation Forum. “Madurai malli [jasmine] has besides gained beardown export request aft its GI recognition, and is projected to cross ₹35 crore successful 2024-25, with large shipments going to the Middle East, Singapore, and Malaysia.”

Assam

Dhol, jaapi (decorative headgear), boka chaul (a benignant of rice), and muga silk are among the State’s 41 GI-tagged products. But Khagen Haloi, a husbandman from the Nalbari district, says helium has nary thought what GI tags are. He has a hunch, however, that it is the crushed wherefore prices for his aromatic joha rice person gone up from ₹70-₹80 per kg a twelvemonth agone to ₹140-₹150 per kg this year. Ironically, the steep hike means his concern is successful trouble. “I person less customers for my atom successful Guwahati, which is wherefore I present merchantability my farm-grown vegetables more,” helium says.

Latest GI tag: Axomiya gohona, a centuries-old jewellery making craft, successful April 2025

Upcoming: Assam’s Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) is moving towards GI tags of taste artefacts belonging to each 26 communities of the region. They person besides announced plans to make ‘GI Villages’ — wherever artisans and farmers volition beryllium supported with training, infrastructure and nonstop marketplace linkages to make a self-sustaining ecosystem.

Meghalaya

The State has conscionable six GI tags, but the authorities is doubling down connected their efforts. Meanwhile, to enactment the ones they have, the authorities is organising expos beyond its borders to beforehand products specified arsenic Lakadong turmeric, Khasi mandarin, and Larnai pottery.

Latest GI tag: Ryndia silk and Khasi handloom successful aboriginal 2025

Upcoming: “Apart from ineligible protection, the intent of GI-tagging is empowering section communities and preserving taste heritage,” says Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma. One of the steps being undertaken is promoting vino making to adhd worth to products specified arsenic the Kew pineapple.

Andhra Pradesh

It has astir 17 GI tags — including Banaganapalle mango, Etikoppaka toys, Pedana kalamkari — but IP professional Subhajit Saha believes the State has implicit 70 products that person the imaginable for certification. However, he believes involvement and cognition needs to beryllium built. “50% of artisans bash not cognize what the certification means for them,” helium says. “Also, portion the tag increases an artisan’s income, it is not capable for a merchandise to sell. Price, quality, and quality are arsenic important. One has to cognize however to bundle it.”

Latest GI tag: Narasapur crochet lace trade successful 2024

Upcoming: The authorities is helping with plan interventions to summation the marketplace worth of GI-tagged products. “In the lawsuit of Kondapalli toys, we are grooming artisans to marque cardinal chains, jewellery and mundane products that tin regenerate plastic,” says Lajwanti Naidu, adjunct manager (capacity building), A.P. Tourism Authority. “We are besides grooming artisans successful integer selling and connecting them with companies.” To amended visibility, they are besides readying an acquisition centre to assistance tourists visiting GI-tagged villages recognize the past of the trade oregon product.

Uttar Pradesh

Prem Chandra, a Bhadohi carpet artisan, is not excessively wide astir GI tags, but helium admits that “in the past 10 years his concern has expanded”. In fact, income of the carpets, which bagged the GI tag successful 2010, has grown 10 times, particularly exports. Today, adjacent with the highest fig of GI tags, the authorities isn’t sitting connected its laurels. A authorities spokesperson shared that authorities are moving connected a broad enactment program to unafraid GI tags for 75 much products successful 2025-26.

Latest GI tag: Banarasi shehnai and Banaras Bharwan Mirch successful April 2025

Upcoming: To rise consciousness and grow the basal of GI products, the MSME section is onboarding entrepreneurs — certified to nutrient and marketplace authentic goods — arsenic authorised users. This aims to summation marketplace designation and support against imitation.

Kerala

Before the celebrated Marayur jaggery got its GI tag successful 2019, its makers had to merchantability it for conscionable ₹40 per kg to wholesale dealers, who dictated the price. “Now, radical travel from acold and wide to bargain it straight from us,” says P.N. Vijayan, a sugarcane husbandman and shaper of the jaggery. “This Onam, I sold it for arsenic overmuch arsenic ₹110 a kilo.” Till date, Kerala has 36 GI tagged products.

Latest GI tag: Kannadippaya (a tribal handicraft from Idukki with a reflective weave) successful April 2024

Pro move: The State authorities has a dedicated website, gikerala.in, that offers entree to each GI-tagged products from the state. They besides supply ineligible enactment to support producers from counterfeit goods, portion extending moving superior assistance to beforehand value-added products. In Idukki, the Kerala Forest Research Institute has launched a broad revival ngo to respire caller beingness into Kannadippaya weaving. The inaugural spans the full worth concatenation — from cultivating bamboo to sourcing the harvested material, and training a caller procreation of weavers.

With inputs from Serish Nanisetti, Sangeetha Kandavel, Rahul Karmakar, Sravani Nellore, Mayank Kumar, and Mini Muringatheri