Basmati, Saffron among 100 agri products to get GI certificate: Hanjura

Excelsior Correspondent

SRINAGAR, May 16: Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura today said that 100 agriculture products from Jammu and Kashmir will be soon brought under Geological Indication (GI) to avoid misbranding of some of the unique local products.
The Minister made this announcement at an officers meeting convened here to discuss the issue of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) as also the issue of regularization of ReZs.
The meeting was attended by the Principal Secretary
Agriculture Production Department, Sandeep Naik, Secretary Law, Mohammad Ashraf Mir, Director Agriculture Kashmir, Showkat Ahmad Baig, Special Secretary Agriculture Production Department Leena Padha and other officers of APD.
The Minister said that the State Government is pursuing the issue of GI certification for around 100 local agriculture products including Basmati and Saffron to prevent misbranding of the same.
The Minister directed the Agriculture Department to speed up the process for regularization of Rehbar-e-Zirats (ReZs) and complete the same by May 23 in view of the directions by the High Court.
It was given out in the meeting that 1548 ReZs including 881 in first and 667 in second phase have been regularized till date.