The Devgad Alphonso GI tag, plainly explained.
The Geographical Indication tag for Devgad Alphonso isn't marketing — it's a legal instrument. Here is what it covers, who owns it, and how to verify it on a box.
Registration at a glance
- GI registration number: 139
- Goods class: Class 31 — Agricultural products, fresh fruits
- Protected region: Devgad taluka, Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra
- Registered proprietor: Devgad Taluka Amba Utpadak Sahakari Sanstha Maryadit
- Statutory basis: Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999
- Authority: Geographical Indications Registry, Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (Government of India)
What the GI tag protects
A GI tag binds a product's name to a specific geographical origin where the product's quality, reputation, or characteristics are essentially attributable to that origin. For Devgad Alphonso, the tag binds the term "Devgad Alphonso" to fruit grown within the Devgad taluka boundary, where the laterite soil, sea-influenced microclimate, and traditional cultivation practices give the fruit its distinct dense sweetness and aromatic profile.
Sections 21 and 22 of the Act provide civil and criminal remedies for infringement, including injunctions, damages, and fines or imprisonment for falsifying GI marks.
What it does NOT mean
- The tag does not certify any specific farm — it certifies the region.
- The tag does not guarantee organic, pesticide-free, or carbide-free status — those are independent claims.
- The tag does not protect against general "Alphonso" or "Hapus" usage — those are variety names, not origin terms.
How Pinified handles GI provenance
We work exclusively with twelve Devgad-taluka orchards. Every Pinified box names the specific source orchard. We don't claim individual GI certification — that's the proprietor's prerogative — but our supply chain is transparent enough that you can verify the source farm's coordinates lie within the protected region.