GI Tag to White Onion.

• Alibag’s white onion gets GI tagged, to benefit farmers as white onion will get premium price.
• With its picturesque beaches, Alibag, in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, is one of the popular tourist spots. 
• This historic place will be now recognized for Geographical Indication (GI) tagged white onion.
• The GI for this onion, characterised by its sweetness, has been accepted.
• The GI tag gives a unique identity to the white onion, which has medicinal qualities and is being cultivated in a traditional way for a long time.
• Farmers will directly get benefits as the white onion will get the premium price because of the GI tag.

What is a Geographical Indication (GI)?

• It is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
• In order to function as a GI, a sign must identify a product as originating in a given place.
• It is a part of the intellectual property rights that comes under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
• In India, Geographical Indications registration is administered by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act of 1999.
• Items Covered: Agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine and spirit drinks, handicrafts, and industrial products.