Nihonshu aka Japanese Sake is now an approved Geographic Indication (GI) in India. The GI was registered on 01 Apr 2024 by the Geographical Indications Registry, under the office of Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks, Government of India.
The development ends months of anticipation among the affected parties keen to import Japanese Sake into India. On a lighter note, any apprehensions that may have arisen from the date of registration (01 Apr) were quickly dissipated as the certificate was promptly updated on the GI Registry website.
Issue at centre-Certificate of Analysis
The classification of Sake as a beverage has long been a subject of intrigue. The beverage is commonly called “rice wine” though some associate it more with beer, given its grain source. But, when it comes to Government regulations, it is the compliance issues that matter, and for Sake import in India, the bone of contention was the Certificate of Analysis (CoA) required by the Food Standards and Safety Authority of India (FSSAI).
FSSAI requires the CoA to be issued by an ISO-compliant lab whereas Japan has none, instead relying on its own mechanism in place. With the registration of Japanese Sake as GI in India, the problem of ISO-compliant certification has been circumvented.
How does registration of Sake as GI in India solve the problem?
It was after hectic parleys between the Embassy of Japan in India (EoJ) and FSSAI, aided by Sake Club India (in an advisory capacity), that the FSSAI agreed to waive off the requirement of an ISO-compliant CoA for Japanese Sake, provided it was registered in the Geographic Indication registry of India. Nihonshu a.k.a. Japanese Sake has already been a registered GI in Japan since 2015, also being its national beverage (see graphic below).
Consequent to the registration of Japanese Sake as a GI in India, it will now be easier to import it in the country, with the FSSAI providing the necessary No Objection Certificate (NOC) for customs clearance with a CoA issued by a Japanese-accredited lab being acceptable.
What does it mean for the Sake Trade in India?
India is a minuscule but growing market for Sake in India. The annual exports of Japanese Sake to the country currently stand at JPY 46 million (approx INR 25.3 million) which is less than 1% as compared to China and USA (source: Asian Community Network).
However, the market for Sake in India is expected to grow rapidly at a CAGR of above 6.37%, as against a global CAGR of 4.91% in the period 2023-2028 (source: India Sake Market Research Report 2028). These figures indicate that Sake has a promising future in India, even if in the longer run.
Voices from the Sake Trade
Talking to Sake Club India about the positive changes expected for Sake in India after the GI registration, Kojiro Honda, Japanese Liquor Import Coordinator for India appointed by Japan’s National Tax Authority said- “The registration of Sake as a GI in India means that we will no longer require laboratory tests for Sake sample bottles, hence reducing a step in the label registration process. Another obvious advantage would be that more and more Sake brands will now come to India.”
Honda, who is also the co-owner of the famous Japanese restaurant chain Kuuraku and consulting firm Hirohama India adds- ” In Kuuraku Mumbai and Bengaluru, Japanese sake sales have been going neck-to-neck with beer, with Indian consumers increasingly seeking more variety. Better availability of Sake post the GI registration will give us more room to play with the food pairings, thereby meeting the consumer’s aspirations”
Honda however sees the GI Nihonshu registration as an important but initial step for Japanese Sake in India. Other challenges according to him are the long gestation period for label registration in many Indian states, and the maintenance of the cold chain for distributing sake across the country’s vast landscape. However, he is positive that with sustained efforts, it is only a matter of time when these challenges are surmounted.
Amit Goel. owner of Radelan Importers and Distributors – one of India’s foremost Sake importers says- ” the GI registration of Sake in India will make its import in the country easier as also motivate more businesses to import sake in India.
When asked about the competition hotting up in the overall sake space consequent to more sake labels coming to the country, Goel has a pragmatic take- “India is a virgin market for sake, so competition does not worry us. On the contrary, healthy competition always helps in growing the concerned market segment, and to that end, It will be a win-win scenario for both trade and consumers with more Sake labels coming in.