MUMBAI: Amid an ongoing controversy over luxury fashion house Prada imitating the iconic Kolhapuri chappals — a Geographical Indication (GI)-tagged product from Maharashtra — the state industries department is accelerating efforts to secure GI status for more local goods.
The department has set an ambitious target to increase Maharashtra’s GI-tagged products from 52 to over 100 within a year. The goal is to surpass states like Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, which currently lead in the number of GI-registered products. Uttar Pradesh, for instance, has 75.
The push is closely tied to Maharashtra’s “One District One Product” (ODOP) initiative, under which the government has identified two key products — one agricultural and one industrial — from each of its 36 districts, bringing the total to 72. These have been shortlisted for focused promotion and export development, with GI registration being a top priority.
“Proposals have already been prepared to double the number of GI-tagged products. If successful, Maharashtra will overtake Uttar Pradesh within a year,” said Vaibhav Waghmare, additional development commissioner (Industries).
GI tags are a form of intellectual property protection that not only preserve the unique identity of regional products but also prevent unauthorised usage by others. They ensure product authenticity for consumers and significantly boost economic value by supporting local industries, promoting exports, and generating employment.
Several products from Maharashtra — including Alphonso mangoes, Chinnor rice, Kolhapur jaggery, grapes, turmeric, and pomegranates — already enjoy GI protection. The ODOP scheme, however, is aiming to expand this list to include a broader range of regionally significant goods. For instance, Mumbai and Mumbai suburban districts have leather goods, marine produce, gems and jewellery whereas Thane has coarse grains, textiles and garments, Palghar has its Gholvad chikoo, Raigad- its marine products, iron and steel and Pune has frozen foods, engineering goods, and Nashik has grapes, Paithani sarees.
“We are also supporting these efforts through capital funding for export-oriented industrial parks and sector-specific projects. Around ₹100 crore has been earmarked to develop such infrastructure,” Waghmare added.
He said the department is offering handholding support to at least 10 exporters in every taluka, to help them scale their products for national and international markets. The broader vision is to raise Maharashtra’s total exports from the current $72 billion (approx. ₹6 lakh crore) to $200 billion (approx. ₹16.7 lakh crore) in the near future.
“This will significantly contribute to India’s target of achieving $1 trillion in total exports, and the ODOP initiative will play a key role in reaching that milestone,” he said.
Another senior official from the industries department said that training and grooming sessions are being conducted through District Industries Centres for artisans, farmers, and small-scale manufacturers associated with the ODOP products.
“Our focus is not just on increasing output, but on packaging, branding, and marketing. These are crucial elements that help our local products stand out in the global market,” the officer added.