Need to harness full potential of J&K’s GI-tagged products: Chief Secy Dulloo
safeguard J&K’s unique cultural heritage and enhance the livelihood of its artisans and farmers, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo has directed the Industries and Commerce Department to formulate plans to leverage the advantages of the UT’s Geographical Indication (GI) tagged products.
Chairing a meeting convened to chalk out a strategy for unlocking the economic and cultural potential of GI products, the Chief Secretary emphasised the need for robust measures to ensure quality, authenticity, and global recognition of these items.
The Chief Secretary underlined the importance of strengthening the traceability features of GI-tagged handicrafts to protect them from counterfeiting.
He directed for augmenting testing facilities across J&K and called for expediting NABL accreditation of the Pashmina Testing and Quality Certification Centre (PTQCC) in Kashmir to enhance its acceptability in international markets.
Highlighting global best practices, Principal Secretary, APD, Shailendra Kumar, suggested developing tamper-proof labels for each product, detailing its unique features, place of origin and creator.
Director, Handicrafts & Handloom, Kashmir, Masarat-ul-Islam, in his presentation, said GI certification aims to preserve traditional skills while preventing counterfeiting.
It was further revealed that the Indian Institute of Carpet Technology has trained over 11,000 artisans, digitised numerous carpet and Kani designs and established a Common Facility Centre for Yarn Dyeing.
As far as the GI registered products are concerned it was given out that as of March 2025, 15 crafts from Kashmir division have been registered with GI tags,
In agriculture, seven products namely Kashmir Saffron, Basmati Rice, Mushk Budji Rice, Bhaderwah Rajmash, Ramban Sulai Honey, Udhampur Kaladi, and Ramban Anardanahave obtained GI tags, while others such as Kashmir Ambri Apple, Kashmiri Haak, and Kashmiri Long Chilli are in the pipeline with others like Kashmiri Pheran and Kangri to be taken up soon for their registration.
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