Around 30,000 mango and chikoo growing farmers from Navsari and Valsad are hopeful of exporting their produce from next season under the brand names of Almsadi Chikoo and Navsari Kesar. Navsari -Valsad Fruit Marketing Cooperative Federation (NVFMCF) has initiated the move to get Geographical Indications tags for these fruits.
Vinod Desai, an agro project consultant in Navsari, said, "The GI registration acknowledges the distinct identity of a local fruit. Like Ratnagiri Alphonso and Gir Kesar, our farmers will also be able to sell their quality produce under their own brand names. Lack of recognition has led our farmers to suffer in terms of export."
Sudhir Dave, former additional general manager of Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation, who now works for NVFMCF, has started the process to get Geographical Indication tags for Almsadi Chikoo and Navsari Kesar.
He said, "It will take more than six months before all the formalities for the registration are completed. We have singled out the unique characteristics of the products in our applications for GI. We have clearly proved how Navsari Kesar is different from Gir Kesar. Its physical appearance, taste, pulp colour and fragrance needed to be clearly marked together with description how the region's climatic condition makes it unique."
Hiren Ahir, who has a firm which exports mangoes, other fruits and vegetables to the United States and the United Kingdom in Navsari, said, "At present, we have to get Kesar from Gir and Alphonso from Ratnagiri. Our export will double in a year from 50 tonnes once Almsadi Chikoo and Navsari Kesar get GI tags."
