West Bengal's sweet tooth gets bigger: Rasogolla sales surge 25 percent after state secures GI tag

Kolkata: Rasogolla sales in West Bengal have shot up by around 25 percent after the state secured a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for “Banglar Rasogolla”, a body of sweetmeats makers said on Wednesday. “The GI tag recognised the industry’s efforts and customers’ passion for the sweet. The development has caused euphoria among sweets-lovers and the industry as a whole has been witnessing a 20-25 per cent rise in rasogolla sales,” Paschimbanga Mistanna Byabasayee Samity’s General Secretary RK Paul said. [caption id=“attachment_4213167” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. AFP[/caption] As per the GI Registry website, the Geographical Indication number 533 was registered on 14 November in the name of West Bengal State Food Processing and Horticulture Development Corporation Limited with respect to Banglar rasogolla. The corporation had filed the application to the GI Registry on September 18, 2015. According to Paul, the sweets’ manufacturing in Bengal was estimated to be worth about Rs 20,000 crore annually though this figure was computed about 15 years back. “Now, the industry size would be well above Rs 20,000 crore and rasogolla, as a core item, contributes a substantial amount to our sales. The GI tag for Banglar Rasogolla will help the industry to develop further,” Paul said. He said two lakh manufacturers, employing 7.5 lakh workers, were involved in the sweetmeats industry in the state. According to industry estimates, rasogolla contributes about 20 per cent of daily sales at a sweetmeats shop but it varies across locations and depends on the number of items on offer.