The world’s most expensive mushroom will be protected by GI in India

One of the world’s most expensive mushrooms may soon receive protection in the form of a geographical indication (GI) in India.

The mushroom, known as ‘Gucchi’ or ‘Morel’, is grown in India’s Doda district in the territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir’s Department of Agriculture has reportedly filed an application to secure GI protection for Gucchi.

Costing more than $230 per kilogram, Gucchi is one of the costliest mushrooms in the world. Around 45 tonnes of the product is produced annually in Jammu and Kashmir. It tends to be collected by farmers and tribesmen around March after the snow has melted.

India, as a member of the World Trade Organization, enacted a law to protect GIs—the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act) 1999—to comply with the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. The GI system in India was aligned with the European Commission during the recent EU-India Virtual summit 2021.