Experts hope that the GI tag to the Lasalgaon onions will help the produce build a brand identity in market and help farmers get better prices. Lasalgaon has the country's largest wholesale market for onions. Nashik's onions are famous for its unique taste and better durability. The GI tag tag will add authenticity to the Lasalgaon onions and will help traders and farmers export their produce and receive better rates.
GI is a name or sign used on products corresponding to a specific geographical location. The use of a GI tag acts as certification that the product is made traditionally or has a reputation owing to its geographical origin. The promotion and development of GI is a tool for regional promotion and to protect the heritage of a particular place.
Chennai-based Geographic Indication Registry of the central government on Thursday (March 31) approved GI tag to Lasalgaon's onions. Nashik grapes and valley wine already have the prestigious GI tag.
Chandrashekhar Bari, the Deputy General Manager (Nashik division) of MSAMB, "GI tag to Lasalgoan's onion will definitely help create brand identity. It will help market the commodity under the brand name of Lasgaon's onion. Farmers producing companies and traders will definitely get benefit as they will get more export potential and get better price," he added, "we will ask farmers to provide documents while selling onions in the market to indicate that onions are produced in Lasalgaon so that it can be marketted as Lasalgaon's onions even when sent to other states."
Another official from MSAMB, said, "There was also proposal from some private companies to buy onions directly from farmers from Lasalgaon. The decision is yet to be taken on that front but farmers will definitely benefit.
"The onions from Nashik are famous not only in the country, but also in the world due to its different taste and durability. The people know the Nashik's onion by taste. There is huge demand for Nashik's onion as compared to the onion grown in other states of the country. Onion (Allium cepa) is an important commercial vegetable crop grown in India. It is widely grown in different parts of the country mainly by small and marginal farmers," said the former director of the National Agriculture Co-operative Marketing Federation of India Changdev Holkar.
GI is a name or sign used on products corresponding to a specific geographical location. The use of a GI tag acts as certification that the product is made traditionally or has a reputation owing to its geographical origin. The promotion and development of GI is a tool for regional promotion and to protect the heritage of a particular place.
Chennai-based Geographic Indication Registry of the central government on Thursday (March 31) approved GI tag to Lasalgaon's onions. Nashik grapes and valley wine already have the prestigious GI tag.
Chandrashekhar Bari, the Deputy General Manager (Nashik division) of MSAMB, "GI tag to Lasalgoan's onion will definitely help create brand identity. It will help market the commodity under the brand name of Lasgaon's onion. Farmers producing companies and traders will definitely get benefit as they will get more export potential and get better price," he added, "we will ask farmers to provide documents while selling onions in the market to indicate that onions are produced in Lasalgaon so that it can be marketted as Lasalgaon's onions even when sent to other states."
Another official from MSAMB, said, "There was also proposal from some private companies to buy onions directly from farmers from Lasalgaon. The decision is yet to be taken on that front but farmers will definitely benefit.
"The onions from Nashik are famous not only in the country, but also in the world due to its different taste and durability. The people know the Nashik's onion by taste. There is huge demand for Nashik's onion as compared to the onion grown in other states of the country. Onion (Allium cepa) is an important commercial vegetable crop grown in India. It is widely grown in different parts of the country mainly by small and marginal farmers," said the former director of the National Agriculture Co-operative Marketing Federation of India Changdev Holkar.