The week gone by brought with it the news that two additional items unique to Goa -- the Mancurad mango and Goan bebinca were approved to be added to the ever growing list of items from Goa that have been granted the much sought after GI tag.
With this the uniquely tasty mango variety, that is believed to have been first discovered and propagated by Jesuit priests in Goa and the seven layered caramel flavoured dessert bebinca, that is believed to have been chanced upon by a nun at the Santa Monica convent in Old Goa joins the list of products from Goa that includes Goa’s cashew feni, the Khola chilli, the Harmal/Arambol chilli, the Moira/Myndoli banana and the Goan khaje (kaddio-boddio). The Agassaim brinjal and the seven-sided okra (saat-shiro bhendo) have also been approved for being granted GI status.
It is no doubt a huge achievement from the point of view of recording the origin of a particular product -- which in Goa’s case have been mostly agricultural products and food products that Goa will be able to legally claim to be the place of origin of these product, lest someone else stake claims to have been the original creator of the said product.
The publication of so many products from a small State like Goa is a testament to the diversity and ingenuity that this land has produced over the years, thanks, in no small measure to the melting pot of cultures and knowledge that Goa has been over the years that has thrown up a unique mix of products that the State and its producers can today take monetary advantage of.
However, to obtain the real fruits of what all a GI tag can bring with it, Goa and its producers need to be given the right tools and the means to take advantage of their newfound elevated status. The potential will otherwise be wasted.
Take the case of feni. It is close to fifteen years that Goa’s cashew feni has a GI certificate that was granted the status back in 2009. However, it is only in 2021 that the State notified a feni policy that set out to differentiate between traditionally made feni and the cheaper alternatives that would not be given the GI tag and label. However, till date, the industry is yet to take advantage of this GI status and labelling of bottles to differentiate the GI feni from the rest. The State government hasn’t been able to convince even other States to make feni available for sale within their jurisdiction.
One of the most effective ways of being able to make use of the GI tag is the ability to charge a higher fee for something that is labelled and certified to be the ‘original’ and different from the other cheap copies that flood the market.
Even a product like feni, that has achieved its tag more than a decade ago, is yet to reach that level and cheap quality feni continues to occupy and fly off the shelves in Goa from unsuspecting buyers who can’t usually tell the difference between the two in the absence of a label.
Goa will be able to truly gain from the GI tags it has achieved when the benefits trickle down to the producer. The GI tag is only the first step in that direction, the government needs to ensure that producers have a clear pathway towards the stated goal and are not left by the wayside once the GI tag has been achieved.
