J&K Government Seeks GI Tag for 12 More Crops

Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Department, said on Saturday that 12 more crops had been submitted for the approval of the specialized tagging at a time when the government asserts that the Geographical Indication (GI) tagging has created a "global reputation" for Kashmiri Saffron.

Speaking to Media, Dulloo said that Kashmiri saffron's GI certification has given it "prominence" in the international market and enhanced its reputation.

“GI tag is making saffron a success story,” he said. “We are also working on promoting niche crops including Kala Zera, walnut, and apricot among others.”

He further said that the government had prepared a list of 12 more new crops and submitted them for the GI tag approval.

The government had created a list of 12 additional new crops, according to Dulloo, and submitted them for GI tag certification.

He said that crop diversification was essential for enhancing farmers' incomes and that the government was making great efforts to get the desired outcomes.

According to Dulloo, the GI tag will not only increase the farmers' incomes but also provide sustainable and secure income generation sources for them.

He said that the different areas of Jammu and Kashmir, each with unique weather conditions, were being studied and that farmers were receiving advice on how to determine the economics of specialty crops like saffron, Kala Zera, walnuts, and Basmati rice.

"Farmers are advised on how to grow specialty crops that will improve their socioeconomic situation. The diversification of farms producing specialty crops will be significantly impacted by this, according to Dulloo. The cultivation of specialised crops requires the introduction of technical innovations.

He said that the government aims to double farmers' incomes and that various initiatives are being taken to achieve that goal.

According to Dulloo, the government is actively working on marketing and promoting the product with the GI tag, and losses in the agricultural sector must be controlled.

According to him, this improved the local secondary economic activities, which in turn promoted regional economic growth.

Dulloo emphasised that the protection of geographic indications was creating a robust image and reputation for the product in the mind of consumers and rewarding the producers with incentives and a way to exchange cultural values.