Mahabaleshwar seeks GI tag for its strawberries

After the Puneri pagdi, Tirupati laddoo, basmati rice, the Mahabaleshwar strawberry is seeking geographical identification (GI) status. “We are seeking to brand the strawberry, which will help us fetch better prices for our fruit in the domestic and overseas markets. We want GI status for the Mahabaleshwar strawberry based on the quality of our produce: it is juicier than the strawberry that grows in Nashik, Bangalore or Uttarakhand, since it has a high water content (70%). It also has a higher glucose level, of 8.5-10 when the average level is 5 and its acidic level is lower,” said Balasaheb Bhilare, president of All India Stawberry Growers Association, an industry organisation. GI refers to a country or place of origin of that product. Typically, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness, which is essentially attributable to the fact of its origin in that defined geographical locality, region or country, according to the government definition. Added Krishna Khilare, chairman, Shriram Fruit Processing, a strawberry grower from Mahabaleshwar, they have received export orders which will be finalised by December, when the season begins. Ganesh Hingmire, chairman, Great Mission Consultancy, which offers consultancy on IP protection, stated that the process of obtaining GI status for the fruit is underway. “We are now waiting for the examination report after the consultative meeting held a few days ago. Once that report is published, there is a three-four month wait for objections. We do not expect objections to be raised since all the 1,100 farmers of the region are part of the organisation,” Mr Hingmire said, indicating that the registration of the GI could happen by the next fiscal. He further said: “The benefits of GI status is a higher, premium pricing and since the fruit meets standards, it gets a stamp of quality. This will benefit growers in the international market.” There are 110 Indian products that have received GI registration and another 165 applications are pending. Mr Hingmire said his organisation has filed four such applications from Maharashtra, proposed seven from Uttarakhand and 30 from Madhya Pradesh. Mahabaleshwar’s strawberry growers may not get the benefit of higher prices through branding this season. There has been a fall in the acreage (area under cultivation) to 1,700 acre from last year’s 2,000 acre due to poor rains and damage to the root stock.