Lok Sabha Question No. 1196 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-30
Subject: Promotion of GI Tag
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Dr. Byreddy Shabari, Dr. K Sudhakar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT FOR PROMOTION OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNAL TRADE

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1196. TO BE ANSWERED ON TUESDAY, THE 30 TH  JULY, 2024.

## PROMOTION OF GI TAG

## 1196   DR. BYREDDY SHABARI: DR. K SUDHAKAR:

## Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY be pleased to state:

## वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री

- (a) whether the Government has taken any steps for promotion of Geographical Indications  (GI)  tagging  of  Kurnool  Masoori  rice  and  Blue  grapes  of  the Chikkaballapur region and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government is taking any steps to enable export of Masoori rice and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) if not, whether the Government has any schemes regarding the promotion of masoori rice and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government has any data regarding the export of rice varieties of Andhra Pradesh and Blue grapes of the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) the details of steps taken by the Government for setting up of any industries aimed at processing these Blue grapes at Chikkaballapur;
- (f) whether the Government has any data regarding the total quantum of Blue grapes  from  Chikkaballapur  which  were  transported  and  sold  off  at  various parts of the country; and
- (g) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्रालय में राज्य मंत्री ( श्री णिणिन प्रसाद ) THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

- (a): The Office of Geographical Indications Registry has not received any application for  registration of Kurnool Masoori rice and Blue grapes of Chikkaballapur as Geographical Indications under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.

The Registration of Geographical Indications is not a voluntary act but a legal protection conferred under the framework of the GI Act and Rules. As per the legal frame work of GI Act & Rules, an application for registration of Geographical Indications has to be made before the Registrar of Geographical Indications by the  producer's  association  or  any  organization  or  authority  established  by  or under any law for time being in force, representing the interest of producers of the  concerned  goods.  The  applicant  has  to  comply  with  the  necessary  legal requirements mentioned in the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act,  1999  &  Geographical  Indications  of  Goods (Registration & Protection) Rules, 2002.

- (b) & (c): The government promotes export of rice including Masoori rice through different means like interaction with regulatory bodies of other countries, sensitization for compliance  of  standards,  financial  assistance  for  export  promotion, quality checks through NABL accredited labs, establishment of Rice Export Promotion Forum and establishment of B-2-B relations with other countries by participation in major food exhibitions in US, UAE, EU and South East Asian   markets.
- (d): There is no separate HS Code to determine the export varieties of rice of Andhra Pradesh and Blue grapes of the country. Masoori rice does not have a separate HS Code and falls in the general category of non-Basmati rice. The export of non-Basmati rice for the last 3 years is given below:

|   Sr. No. | Year                |   Quantity (in MT) |   Value (Rs. Crore) |
|-----------|---------------------|--------------------|---------------------|
|         1 | 2021-22             |        5.24844e+06 |            14980.6  |
|         2 | 2022-23             |        6.39878e+06 |            17774.2  |
|         3 | 2023-24             |        2.35909e+06 |             7021.67 |
|         4 | 2024-25 (April-May) |   265874           |             1023.31 |

Source: DGCIS

Export of fresh grapes (including  Blue grapes) in last three years is given below:

|   Sl. No | Year                |   US$ Mill |   QTY in MT |
|----------|---------------------|------------|-------------|
|        1 | 2021-22             |     305.68 |    263076   |
|        2 | 2022-23             |     313.7  |    267950   |
|        3 | 2023-24             |     417.07 |    343982   |
|        4 | 2024-25 (April-May) |      43.96 |     46727.8 |

Source: DGCIS

- (e): Food processing sector plays a vital role in reduction in the wastage of perishable agricultural  produce,  enhancing  shelf  life  of  food  products,  ensuring  value addition to agricultural produce, diversification & commercialization of agriculture,  generation  of  employment,  enhancing  income  of  farmers  and creating surplus for the export of agro & processed foods.

In order to ensure the overall development of Food Processing Sector including processing  of  grapes  across  the  country  and  to  help  it  to  overcome  various challenges,  Ministry  of  Food  Processing  Industries  (MoFPI)  is  implementing Central Sector Umbrella Scheme viz Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY), Production Linked  Incentive  Scheme  for  Food        Processing  Industry (PLISFPI)  and  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  PM  Formalization  of  Micro  food processing Enterprises (PMFME).

- (f) & (g): No such data is maintained by Central Government.

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