Alibaug, a coastal
town in Raigad District of Maharashtra in India, is likely to soon get Geographical
Indication (GI) tag for its white onion. On January 16,
Alibaug Pandhara Kanda Utpadak Gat, i.e., Alibaug white onion producers group
backed by the department of agriculture in Alibaug tehsil of Raigad district,
applied for the GI tag with Geographical Indications Registry of Chennai.
Till today, near about
300 GI tags have been granted in India. And, when it comes to Maharashtra, the
state possesses 24 agricultural products secured under the shield of Geographical
Indication Protection. Besides, two more
products of this region are also in the queue of acquiring the distinction.
A GI expert from Pune,
advocate Ganesh Hingmire, said that Alibaug’s white onion, which has been
cultivated for decades, is of a traditional variety. The product has a unique
taste and color owing to the soil texture and climatic conditions of the
region.
The GI proposal
illustrated that the specific white onion doesn’t possess a strong odor. Rather
it has a sweet taste, which makes it unique and different from other varieties
of the onion commonly available in the market. It further illustrated that
Alibaug white onion is the best eaten raw and offers remedy for cold, cough,
fever, and allergies. Furthermore, it also heals wounds with its antibiotic,
antiseptic, antimicrobial, and carminative properties.
In Raigad, these
special white onions are often cultivated in Kale, Khandala, Neuli, Pavele,
Sahan, and Dhavar villages of Alibaug. In the application for Geographical
Indication Registration in India, the group has
claimed that this variety of onions is grown using traditional methods. For
instance, seeds are sown in small rectangular-shaped beds. Dried fish powder
and cow dung are used as fertilizers. The traditional braiding method is what
keeps the onions’ taste intact for over seven months.
Hingmire, who has
registered over 26 GIs in India, said that since the GI protection scheme came
into practice after the World Trade Organization agreements, around 59,000
products have been registered as GI across Europe. He then added that in India,
people can apply for a GI tag after every 60 km and that all citizens should be
more and more aware of the global market and how to protect their products’
specialties. The GI
tag in India falls under the Geographical Indication of Goods
(Registration and Protection) Act that came into effect in 1999.
Here, in this case, it
is believed that the GI tag will protect the uniqueness of these onions and
thus boost their exports.
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