GI Tags, Devgad & Ratnagiri: What Authenticity Really Means
Dr. Meera Kulkarni
5 March 2026
A Geographical Indication tag is more than a sticker. Here’s what it protects, why counterfeiters exist, and how owning at the source settles the question.
Every summer, far more “Devgad Alphonso” is sold than Devgad could possibly grow. The gap is why Geographical Indication tags exist.
What a GI tag protects
A GI tag legally ties a product name to a place. Only fruit genuinely grown in the Devgad or Ratnagiri belt can carry those names — the agricultural equivalent of Champagne only coming from Champagne.
Why counterfeits thrive
Demand vastly outstrips the finite coastal supply, so look-alike mangoes from other regions are relabelled. A buyer often can’t tell — until they taste it.
Owning settles it
When you own orchard land inside the GI belt, authenticity isn’t a claim you have to trust — it’s a fact you hold the title to.
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