Banarasi paan, Barabanki handloom, other exclusive UP products to get GI tag

Among other prospective goods for GI tagging are Banarasi Langra, Adamchini rice, Ram Nagar baigan, Barabanki handloom, Muzaffarnagar jaggery, Agra leather footwear, and Baghpat handloom

The famous Banarasi paan, Banarasi Langra (mango variety), Barabanki handlooms and several other exclusive products of Uttar Pradesh are to get the prestigious Geographical Identification (GI) certification. This will provide them legal protection and give a fillip to their exports.

The ODOP (One District One Product) Cell of the MSME department, in association with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and Varanasi-based organisation, Human Welfare Association (HWA), has already initiated an exercise in this regard.

HWA President Rajni Kant, who is an expert on GI and has been assigned by the state government to look into the matter, said, "The list of prospective goods includes Banarasi paan, Banarasi Langra, Adamchini rice, Ram Nagar baigan (brinjal), Barabanki handloom, Muzaffarnagar gud (jaggery), Agra leather footwear, Baghpat handloom, Jalaun handmade paper and Jailsar Ghati ghunghroo.

About 26 exclusive products, which have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or reputation of that origin, have already received GI certification. The terracotta art of Gorakhpur, the home district of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, was the latest to join the league of GI tagged goods.

"The work is almost in final stage for applying to the GI Registry in Chennai," Kant added.