Bengal to seek GI tag for Rakhi & Nolen Molasses

kolkata: In a bid to showcase Rakhi and Nolen Molasses in the international platform, West Bengal Khadi and Village Industries Board (WBKVIB) is going to seek GI tag.

Prof Dibyendu Bikash Dutta who is in charge of the project on behalf of WBKVIB said that Kalna in East Burdwan has been identified for Rakhi while Majdia in Nadia has been demarcated for Nolen Molasses. Works are being carried out to prepare a report after visiting both the areas, Prof Dutta said. Rosogolla of Bengal was first to receive the GI tag in 2018.

There had been a controversy over the issue after the Odisha government claimed the sweet to be their product. However, the matter got settled when the GI Registration Bureau gave its verdict in favour of Bengal. Sitabhog and Mihidana of Burdwan have received GI tag along with 'Joynagarer moa'. Attempts are on to increase the shelf life of these products to make it more acceptable to the foreign buyers.

A GI tag is an indicator used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation owing to its origin.

Experts believe that GI-tag is necessary to avoid cheap imitation of the products. 'Sarbhaja' and 'Sarpuria', two traditional sweets of Nadia district are likely to get GI tag. The Science and Technology department of the state government has submitted all the documents relating to these two traditional sweets to the GI Registration office in Chennai.

The documents include among other things, the history of the sweets, the know-how that is being followed to produce them, the popularity of the sweets etc.