New Delhi, Mar 17 (IANS): As on date, there are 417 registered Geographical Indication (GI) tagged products, of which around 150 GI tagged products are agricultural and food products, the Centre said.

"Of the 150, more than 100 registered GI products fall under the category of APEDA scheduled products (cereals, fresh fruits and vegetables, processed products etc.)," a government release said on Thursday.

In a bid to promote exports of locally sourced GI tagged agricultural products, the Centre claimed it has been striving to identify new products and new export destinations.

Darjeeling tea and Basmati rice are the two popular GI-tagged agricultural products of India. There is a host of GI-tagged products in various corners of the country, which have niche but loyal customers and need to be marketed properly to reach more potential buyers.

The Centre, through the Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA), has been facilitating trial shipments into new markets worldwide for products such as Kala Namak rice, Naga Mircha, Assam Kaji Nemu, Bangalore Rose Onion, Nagpur Oranges, GI varieties of Mangoes, GI-tagged Shahi Litchi, Bhalia wheat, Madurai Malli, Bardhaman Mihidana and Sitabhog, Dahanu Gholvad Sapota, Jalgaon Banana, Vazhakulam Pineapple, Marayoor Jaggery, etc.

Notable shipments of GI products in 2021 included export of Naga Mircha from Nagaland to the UK, Black Rice from Manipur and Assam to the UK, Assam Lemon to the UK 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.

Around 30 kg of a sample shipment of Joynagar Moa, a sweetmeat delicacy from West Bengal, was sent via Kolkata airport to Bahrain. Subsequent to the sample shipment, further orders for Joynagar Moa were received from Bahrain.

In a major thrust to exports of GI-tagged products from Bihar, the first shipment of 524 kg GI tagged Shahi Litchi was exported from Muzaffarpur district of Bihar to London in May 2021. The year also witnessed the export of GI tagged Banaganapalle Mango from Andhra Pradesh to South Korea.

In June 2021, the season's first shipment of 1,048 kg GI tagged Malihabadi Dusseheri Mango was exported from Lucknow to the UK and the UAE.

GI products from other regions included Sangli raisins, Nagpur Orange, Dahanu Gholvad Chikoo, Marathwada Kesar Mango, Jalgaon Banana from Maharashtra, Kandhamal Turmeric from Odisha, Bangalore Rose Onion from Karnataka, Allahabad Surkha Guava, Kalanamak Rice from Uttar Pradesh, Madurai Malli from Tamil Nadu etc.

In 2020, virtual buyer-seller meets (VBSMs) were organised with the UAE and the US, two of the largest export markets for APEDA scheduled products.

From April 2020 to March 2021, VBSMs were held with potential importing countries such as the UAE, Indonesia, Kuwait, Iran, Thailand, Bhutan, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan etc., for the promotion of APEDA scheduled products. Special focus was given on export of GI tagged products.

APEDA also organised in-store promotional programmes in importing countries in association with foreign retailers such as Al-Zajira Group of Bahrain and Family Food Center of Qatar. Dispatch of samples of GI tagged Nanjangud Banana from Karnataka to LuLu Group, UAE, was also facilitated to enhance exports.