GI stores selling local products at all airports soon: Prabhu

Panaji, Jan 29: Union Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said Monday that all the airports in the country will soon have `Geographical Indication Stores’ which will promote products unique to that region.

                A Geographical Indication (GI) is an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods) originating from a particular area.

                Prabhu inaugurated the first such store at Goa Airport in the presence of State Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar and others.

                “We are going to make sure that all airports have GI stalls. We have a hundred airports now and we will be adding (another) hundred airports,” the Union minister said.

                “The GI stall will promote local products whereby (the work of) artisans, handicrafts, local talent would be on display,” Prabhu added.

                Every tourist wants to take away something which is unique to Goa and “that unique thing will be available in the (GI) store,” he said.

                The Civil Aviation Ministry has signed an MoU with the Goa government, and soon such agreements will be signed with other governments to promote local products including those made by women’s self-help groups, he said.

                The ministry is also planning to provide similar outlets for farm produce, he said.

                “We want to put them (farmers stalls) on display  in all the visible locations, including outside India,” he said.