GI-tagged bebinca set to feature on special cover at philatelic expo

Panaji: Two years after Goa’s beloved dessert, bebinca, received the geographical indication (GI) tag, it is set to be commemorated with a special philatelic cover. Goa Posts will release the collectible on Friday at GOAPEX 2025, marking the tribute to the layered sweet to celebrate Goa’s rich gastronomic heritage and promote wider recognition of its unique cultural products.

“Geographic indicators of a region play a vital role in bringing out the exclusive materials pertaining to an area, and this will give the farmers or the product producers their due and will fetch them good prices for their produce,” said a member of a Goa philatelic and numismatics society.

The bebinca received a GI tag in Aug 2023. Deepak Parab, nodal officer, patent facilitation centre at the state council for science and technology, stated, “Many people export bebinca, and with the GI tag, the all-Goa bakers confectioners association can demand a premium price for this unique Goan product.”

Goa postal division will inaugurate the GOAPEX 2025 philatelic exhibition on Nov 28 at Institute Menezes Braganza Hall in Panaji.

Chief guest Shishir Dhamija (IRS), chief commissioner of income tax, Panaji, will preside over the ceremony, with Jnanpith awardee Damodar Mauzo as guest of honour. Amitabh Singh, chief postmaster general of the Maharashtra and Goa circle, will be present for the event.

The programme also includes the release of a special cancellation on the GOAPEX 2025 logo, permanent pictorial cancellations and picture postcards on Mussol Khel and the façade of Church of Our Lady of Health in Sancoale, and a picture postcard pack titled Philately Meets Identity: Goa’s 10 GIs.

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