Varanasi: The week-long exhibition of GI-tagged products of the state from January 18 to 24 is showcasing ‘Brand UP’. It has been organised by the Uttar Pradesh Export Promotion Council (UPEPC) in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Hastkala Sankul, a trade facilitation centre in Bada Lalpur area of the district.
A total of 28 GI-tagged products of UP have been put out on display and are also on sale in the exhibition which is happening in both physical and virtual modes. Joint commissioner (industries) Umesh Singh said that the exhibition is providing an effective platform to the exhibitors and buyers.
“The GI tag guarantees quality. Even in the pandemic period, the GI-tagged products made good business and have proved the concept of ‘vocal for local’ to be a success,” he added. Explaining the importance of GI, assistant commissioner (handloom) Nitesh Dhawan said that GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities/reputation due to their place of origin.
“It provides legal protection to the products and prevents unauthorized use of the registered GIs by others. It promotes economic prosperity of producers of goods in a geographical territory,” he said.
GI expert Dr Rajani Kant said that the government and industrial organizations should make collective efforts for the promotion and development of GI products to benefit the local artisans. As many as 50 stalls of GI products from 16 districts including Varanasi, Bhadohi, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Ghazipur, Azamgarh, Bulandshahar, Farrukhabad, Firozabad, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Kannauj, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Saharanpur and Siddharthnagar are part of the exhibition.
The GI-tagged products like terracotta of Gorakhpur, brocade of Varanasi, Nizamabad black pottery of Azamgarh, handmade carpets of Bhadohi, perfumes of Kannauj, metal craft of Moradabad, pottery of Khurja and kala namak rice of Siddhartha Nagar have been attracting many visitors. Seminars and training programmes by experts for improving the technical skills of the craftsmen are also being organized in the exhibition.
The craftsmen will be given free tool kits in collaboration with the government of India. Under the technical upgradation training programme for GI products, there is a training for 240 craftsmen, soft skill training for 600 craftsmen, and new technology training for 270 craftsmen.