New Delhi, Oct 5 (KNN) In an effort to promote indigenous & Geographical Identification (GI) tagged products, the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) exported first consignment of GI tagged sweet dish Mihidana sourced from Bardhaman, West Bengal to the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The consignment of unique sweet dish Mihidana was registered under M/S DM Enterprises, Kolkata and imported by Aljazira Group, Bahrain. The sweet dish from West Bengal is being displayed (also provided for tasting purpose) to consumers at Aljazira super stores in Bahrain. More consignments of the unique sweet dish would be exported to Bahrain during forthcoming Diwali festival.

A GI tag is a sign denoting a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. GI, 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. Darjeeling tea, Basmati rice, Kanchipuram Silk, Mysore Silk, Hyderabadi haleem, Nagaland chilli products, etc, sold with the GI tag have premium pricing.

In January, 2021, a consignment of Jaynagar Moa was exported to the Kingdom of Bahrain, by APEDA registered M/s D M Enterprises, Kolkata. APEDA has been focusing on increasing lesser known, indigenous and GI tagged food products from the country.

In August, 2021, India Post released a special cover on West Bengal''s sweetmeats Mihidana and Sitabhog. West Bengal’s Bardhaman got the GI tag for the century-old sweetmeats in 2017.

APEDA undertakes market promotion activities for export of food products, market intelligence for making informed decisions, international exposure, skill development, capacity building and high-quality packaging.

APEDA has been carrying out promotional activities to bring unique and GI certified products to the agricultural and processed food products export map of India. APEDA provides assistance to set up pack houses across States which would fulfil the mandatory requirement or infrastructure for export of fresh fruits and vegetables to the international market.