BJD MP demands GI tag for Kendrapada’s Rasabali

KENDRAPADA/BHUBANESWAR: BJD Rajya Sabha member Subash Singh on Sunday demanded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Kendrapada’s Rasabali, a sweet popular delicacy.
Singh, along with two other RS members Munna Khan and Mamata Mahanta, met Union commerce and industry and food minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum in this regard. The BJD parliamentarians demanded the initiation of steps to give the GI tag to Kendrapada Rasabali.
Rasabali originated in the famous Baladevjew Temple more than 400 years ago.It consists of deep-fried flattened reddish brown patties of cheese that are soaked in thickened and sweetened milk. Many people in the district earn their livelihood by selling Rasabali.
Singh said the GI status will help the Rasabali have a distinct identity as nobody will then be able to misuse the name to market similar sweets,
“Kendrapada’s Rasabali is one of the most delicious sweets in the country. However, it is not being marketed properly owing to poor promotion and export facilities. A GI tag is used for a product originating from a definite geographical territory,” Balabhadra Patri, executive officer of Baladevjew Temple in Kendrapada, said. Like Singh, he too said if the Kendrapada Rasabali gets the GI status, it can be differentiated from similar competing sweets and will earn a reputation for its unique taste and properties.