In a first, cultivators of Alphonsomango(haapus) from Thane district have latched on to geo-taggingtheir crops to access the wider and more financially viableglobal marketand to help customers tell the authentic haapus apart from its lookalike.

Several mango orchard owners from rural Thane recently approached the state Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture department to get the geographical indicator (GI) tag for Thane mangoes along the lines of theRatnagirihaapus, said officials from the agriculture department. The officials said that GI tagging will ensure quality assurance to customers and give them priority to export to Europe and the US, thus maximising profits for cultivators.

This is the first time Thane mango farmers have evinced interest in getting their product geo-tagged.Konkan Alphonsois in high demand due to its flavour and aroma and has secured GI tag for last few years. Thane district, also part of Konkan region, was left behind and so we thought of giving it a push as the produce here is exactly the same as in the coastal belt,

In all, 118 cultivators recently approached the district agriculture department. Once registered, all farm produce will carry a unique code that will give details of the fruit, said officials. The farmers said they were reeling under losses due to the pandemic and drop in sales due to influx of the mango variants from Karnataka and Gujarat.