Geographical Indications in Horticulture: An Indian perspective

Abstract

Geographical Indication, an exclusive community rights, recognizes crucial roles played by location, climate and human know-how in making the products distinguished on the basis of their unique intrinsic attributes. It acts as an effective tool in protecting and rewarding not only the market potential of elite items but also the traditional knowledge associated with them. Since the enactment of the GI Act, 89 agricultural items have been accorded with GI tags till March 2018 and among them the share of horticultural items is more than 75 percent. Among horticultural crops, maximum GIs have been accorded to fruit crops (36) followed by vegetable crops (11). Plantation crops and spices share 8 GI tags each, whereas flowering plants and medicinal and aromatic plants conferred with 5 and 2 GI tags, respectively. Mango, citrus, banana, chilli, tea, cardamom, jasmine, grapes, pineapple, brinjal, onion and coffee are important horticultural crops with regard to GI tags. The state-wise ownership of GIs in horticultural crops indicates activism of Maharashtra and Karnataka. The efforts made by public and quasi‐public institutions in obtaining GI tags are indeed a significant to protect, exploit market potential and to facilitate better return to legitimate rural producer from origin-linked reputed products as under the TRIPS Agreement unless a geographical indication is protected in the country of its origin there is no obligation under this Agreement for other countries to extend reciprocal protection.