Darjeeling mandarin gets GI tag, hopes rise for revival
Darjeeling: Heralding a fresh chapter for the hills’ iconic winter fruit, the Darjeeling Mandarin has been granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag—an achievement that growers believe could revive the ailing citrus industry. With this, the Darjeeling Mandarin becomes the 11th agricultural produce to be accorded the coveted GI tag in Bengal.
The Mandarin Orange (Citrus reticulata Blanco) is a major cash crop of the Darjeeling Hills. It is grown in approximately 930 hectares in the Darjeeling Hills. As per the 2016, Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts produced 15,000 metric tons of oranges. However, over the years production has declined considerably owing to diseases, pests, nutrient deficiency, soil condition, climate change as well as marketing and storage problems of the fruits. “However, the GI could ring in a fresh lease of life for the Darjeeling Mandarin, the fruit synonymous with winter, known for its taste.
The GI tag is a huge achievement for the fruit and it will definitely increase the demand for the Darjeeling Mandarin not only in the domestic but also the international market. Ghimirey of the UBKV had an important role to play in the process providing all the documents and logistics required from ground zero,” stated Mahua Hom Choudhary, Senior Scientist and Nodal Officer, of Patent Information Centre (PIC), West Bengal State Council of Science and Technology (WBSCS&T) while talking to Millennium Post.
Tracing the GI journey of the Darjeeling Mandarin, former professor of the Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (UBKV,) Tulsi Saran Ghimirey stated that the process had been initiated with PIC, WBSCS&T, Kolkata in 2022 along with the documentation including historical evidence. The application was then sent to the GI Registration, Chennai in August 2022 and was accepted.
“Initially the applicant was the UBKV but later during pre-hearing, owing to some technical reasons we changed it to Darjeeling Organic Farmers Producer Organisation (DOFPO), Mirik. All the documentation was done and all requirements, specification met, finally leading to its publication in the GI Journal (Volume 206) on July 23, 2025. Following the mandated public notice period, GI was accorded to Darjeeling Mandarin on November 25. The GI certificate will be uploaded in the public domain in the next few days,” stated Ghimirey. While the DOFPO is the registered proprietor of the GI, the UBKV and PIC are the facilitators for the GI for Darjeeling Mandarin. The Bengal government has also launched the “Mission Suntala” (orange is known as Suntala in Nepali) to salvage the Darjeeling Mandarin providing technical knowhow, logistics and saplings.
“With the GI tag, emphasis has to be given to production. There is high demand for Darjeeling Mandarin and the demand has to be met. Increasing the area of existing orchards (area expansion), pest and disease control are key areas which have to be looked into. We have already geo-tagged 1069 elite orange plants to be used as mother plants in case plants are required for large scale re-plantation. They can be used for grafting, budding and even for tissue culture,” stated Samuel Rai, Director, Cinchona and Medicinal Plants. Darjeeling tea was the first product to receive a GI tag in India.
