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The International Spirits & Wines Association of India, a representative body of the national and international premium spirits and wine brands in the country, is talking to different State governments on adopting GI-tagging of products, including beverages, fruits and grains, used as the raw materials for the alcoholic beverages industry.
“More and more GI tagging of products will help get better prices in exports markets,” Nita Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer, International Spirits and Wines Association of India (ISWAI) told businessline.
Kapoor, who was speaking on the sidelines of a session at the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) on Wednesday, said GI tags require a complete ecosystem that a State needs to develop. “A private entity or a corporate can work within this ecosystem. It has to come from the State. We are talking to State governments for GI-tagging of products, including beverages, fruits and grains used as the raw materials for the industry,” she said.
India is the fifth in the world in terms of the size of the alcobev industry. The industry is likely to grow by around 6 per cent CAGR to reach $63 billion from the current size of $51.7 billion in the next five years.
On the need for more GI tagging of products, Kapoor said it is important as it provides a distinct advantage in the export markets. “For example, Scotch, Champagne and Cognac are a few successful GI tag categories. The key strategic issue is to consider some number of GI-tagged products in the export basket for the state of West Bengal,’‘ she said.
Exports
Notably, total export of the country’s alcobev industry currently stands at around ₹1,500-1,600 crore. The sector accounts for around 2 per cent of India’s nominal GDP and generates employment for over 70 lakh people. ‘’West Bengal, Rajasthan and Telangana contribute around 3-4 per cent of supplies of grain-based ENA (extra neutral alcohol) of the country. There is an opportunity to consider ENA distilleries in West Bengal,’‘ Kapoor added.
Notably, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka are three major States for producing extra neutral alcohol (ENA), the base to manufacture spirits. India’s spirits market is one of the largest globally.
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