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Kashmir Saffron now has GI Tag
Why is it in news?
- The J&K administration issued the certificate of Geographical Indication (GI) registration for saffron grown in the Kashmir Valley.
Significance of GI Tag to Kashmir Saffron:
- With the GI tag, Kashmir saffron will acquire more prominence in the export market.
- The tag would help farmers get the best remunerative price.
More about Kashmir Saffron:
- Kashmir saffron derived from the crocus flower.
- Saffron is grown commercially primarily in India, Spain and Iran. But the Kashmir variety is considered the best and it is the most expensive.
- First cultivated in Greece, saffron has been grown in the Kashmir valley for hundreds of years.
- Kashmir’s is the only Saffron in the world that is grown at an altitude of 1,600 metres.
About Geographical Indication (GI) Tag:
- A GI or Geographical Indication is a name or a sign given to certain products that relate to a specific geographical location or origins like a region, town or country.
- Geographical Indications are covered as a component of intellectual property rights (IPRs) under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
- At the International level, GI is governed by the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO’s) Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
- In India, Geographical Indications registration is administered by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 which came into force with effect from September 2003.
- The first product in India to be accorded with GI tag was Darjeeling tea in the year 2004-05.
- The registration of a geographical indication is valid for a period of 10 years. It can be renewed from time to time for further period of 10 years each.