Pune: After Ratnagiri Alphonso and Mahabaleshwar strawberries got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, Alphonso growers from Junnar taluka of Pune district have started the process of acquiring the GI tag for their variety of Alphonso mangoes. 

Sanjay Kale, Chairman, Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), said, “The mangoes that are grown in this area has been marketed in the Vashi market, Mumbai for over eight decades now. The traders are from Junnar taluka and all the varieties of Alphonso and a few varieties of Keshar were brought here by the farmers from the Konkan region nearly a century ago.” 

“The atmosphere and weather condition helped the fruit to grow and produce its own unique taste which appeals to consumers. The fruit is known as Junnar Hapus (Alphonso) in Vashi market,” he said.
 
A GI is an indication used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. “Such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness which is essentially attributable to its origin in that defined geographical locality,” the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry has said.
 
Kale said, “The fruit from Junnar market is ready for consumption in the month of June and is popular for its taste.” 

Kale further said, “There has been a long pending demand to get the GI tag for this variety of the fruit as it will boost the trading besides helping the growers financially.”
 
Meanwhile, Shirur MP Shivaji Adhalrao Patil has written a letter to the state agriculture minister requesting him to collect the scientific information of the fruit so that the process of GI tag can further be intensified. 

“As many as 10 villages from the taluka grow the fruit and the crop has a huge market in Mumbai. The fruit has made its special place in the market owing to its sweet taste,” said the letter.