Tatsat Chronicle Magazine

TRIFED is attempting to obtain a Geographical Indications (GI) badge for 177 possible tribal goods

October 19, 2021

TRIFED is working on getting the GI tag for the 177 tribal products from states across the country

TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India) has undertaken the GI efforts with the goal of protecting and revitalising the traditional mastery that the Indian tribal people have in creating some of the most unusual products. TRIFED is working hard to raise awareness of the importance of protecting and promoting agricultural, natural, and manufactured goods with specific geographical characteristics, thereby contributing to the preservation of India’s inestimable treasures, by marketing GI tagged products of tribal origin or source.

The ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ section in high commissions is part of a global campaign, in collaboration with TRIFED, to showcase products made by tribal people across India for centuries. The GI involvement by TRIFED and the establishment of Atmanirbhar corners in Indian missions overseas aims to protect the interests of the original manufacturers as well as the product, ensuring that the producer receives the best price for their premium goods even in a highly competitive market.

In addition, GI intervention attempts to ensure that indigenous items are recognised in both India and the world market, as well as to resuscitate dwindling art and craft from a tribal specific geographical place. TRIFED currently markets 56 GI-tagged items from among the 300+ registered Indian GIs through its well-established network of 141 Tribes India retail stores and several ecommerce platforms, according to their tribal origin/involvement. It has granted authorised user status to 94 artisans so far, and it is working hard to grow the number of permitted users to 500 in the near future. TRIFED is working to get a GI tag for the 177 potential products that have been identified from the states under the operational areas of our regional offices across the country, including the North-East (88), Uttarakhand (14), Jharkhand (11), Madhya Pradesh (11), Maharashtra (10) Odisha (6), West Bengal (9), Gujarat (7), Chhattisgarh (7), Andhra Pradesh (4), Rajasthan (4), and others (6).

Under the tutelage of Padma Shree Rajnikant Dwivedi, GI registration of 21 promising items from Gujarat, Assam, Uttarakhand, and Jharkhand has already begun.