India: Geographical Indication Tag
On 31 May, 2016, the Indian State of Uttarakhand was granted the Geographical Indication Certificate for its famous sweet bay leaf, famously known as Tejpatta. The present GI Certificate was given by Geographical Indication Registry, Chennai. Tejpatta (more famously known as ‘Cinnamomum Tamala” in the west) is a famous spice which is used in many Hilly cuisines
in India and is also transported to various parts of the country. This crop is also known for its medical properties.
Tejpatta is extensively grown in many parts of the state of Uttarakhand, including Nainital, Chamoli, Tehri, Bageshwar, Almora, Pithoragarh, and Champawat. Over Thousand metric tons of Tejpatta is grown in the state of Uttarakahand.
With the help from United Nations Development Program (UNDP) – Global Environment facility, Herbal Research and Development Institute, a nodal agency of Uttarakhand Medicinal Plant Board, has applied for the Registration of GI. Some other Crops in Uttarakhand are also identified for GI Registration.
Uttarakhand has also obtained a GI Registration of Basmati Rice. Uttarakhand shares this GI Tag on Basmati Rice with the states of Utter Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, New Delhi and Himachal Pradesh. The details of Uttarakhand’s GI Tags are
as under;
| Sl. No. | Application No. | GI (Geographical Indication) | Goods Type | State |
| 1. | 145 | Basmati | Agricultural | The entire states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and parts of western Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. |
| 2. | 520 | Uttarakhand Tejpatta | Agricultural | Uttarakhand |
As per experts, obtaining a GI Tag on Tejpatta, will be beneficial for over 10, 000 farmers involved in its production, as a price hike of 85- 140 INR
(Approx US $ 1-2) is expected, in the near future. The Government
of India has also proposed a new scheme for increasing its production. Under this scheme, tejpatta will be cultivated in an additional area of 500 hectares in Uttarakhand.