Patang Is Now Part of India's ODOP Initiative
Patang just got tagged.
No, not on Instagram. Something bigger. Patang - the snacks brand built on the idea that India's regional flavours deserve a real spotlight — has been officially onboarded under the Government of India's One District One Product (ODOP) initiative, run by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Invest India.
It's a milestone we're genuinely proud of. And if you care about Indian food, regional produce, or where the country's snack culture is headed, it's worth understanding why.
What Is ODOP, and Why Does It Matter?
The ODOP initiative is one of India's most ambitious grassroots-to-global programs. The idea is straightforward: every district in India has something special. A product, a craft, a flavour that's uniquely its own. ODOP's job is to find that product, build it up, and connect it to markets — domestic and international.
The numbers speak for themselves. Over 750 products from districts across India are covered under ODOP today. More than 100 of these carry GI (Geographical Indication) tags, meaning they are legally recognised as products tied to a specific place and tradition.
The initiative works across four pillars:
Product Development — upskilling producers, improving packaging, diversifying product lines, and standardising quality.
Sales Improvement — connecting producers to domestic and international markets, onboarding sellers onto e-commerce platforms, and facilitating exports.
Awareness — educating producers on buyer needs, certifications (organic, export-standard), and market opportunities.
Scheme Support — helping producers access government funding, marketing programs, and technology upgradation schemes.
Think of it as the government putting real infrastructure behind India's best local products.
From Lakadong Turmeric to Jardalu Mangoes: What ODOP Has Already Done
The impact of ODOP is already visible in some remarkable stories.
Lakadong Turmeric from Meghalaya — known globally for having the highest curcumin content of any turmeric variety — went from a hyperlocal product to a nationally procured ingredient, with over 13,000 kg procured in 2021 and 25,000+ kg in 2022 alone. Producers saw roughly a 15% increase in price margins. Women in the community were directly empowered through the program.
GI-tagged Jardalu Mangoes from Bihar made their first-ever commercial export to the UK under ODOP facilitation. Srinagar Apples reached Bangalore. Budgam Walnuts replaced imports from the USA.
Artisans from Kutch, weavers from Arunachal Pradesh, Bidriware craftsmen from Karnataka — hundreds of producers across India have been onboarded onto platforms like GeM (Government e-Marketplace), Tribes India, Hunaar Haat, and international e-commerce sites.
An ODOP Gift Catalogue — covering 300+ products across fragrances, spirits, home decor, fabrics, silks, and shawls — was launched by the Commerce Minister in August 2022. An ODOP Directory listing 5,000+ sellers followed. Government ministries are now using ODOP products for gifting at the G20 summit and beyond.
This is the ecosystem Patang is now part of.
Why This Matters for Patang
Patang was built with one belief at its core: India's regional snack flavours are extraordinary, and they deserve to be taken seriously.
We source from specific regions. We work with local kitchens. We build products around the stories of where ingredients come from — the spice profiles of different states, the snacking traditions that have existed for generations, the flavours that city consumers grew up eating at home and can't find on a supermarket shelf.
ODOP recognition aligns directly with what Patang is trying to do. It connects us to:
- Government-backed credibility for our regional positioning
- Access to institutional channels including gifting programs, government procurement, and foreign missions
- A national and international stage for products that are rooted in district-level origin stories
- The broader "Vocal for Local" and "Make in India" movement that is reshaping how the world sees Indian food
For our corporate gifting business in particular, this is significant. ODOP products are being actively considered by ministries and departments for gifting within and outside India. That's an institutional buyer pipeline that didn't exist for regional snack brands before this.
What Comes Next
Being onboarded is the start, not the finish. ODOP's framework around capacity building, export facilitation, e-commerce onboarding, and buyer-seller connects gives Patang access to tools and networks we intend to use actively.
The vision of connecting every Indian district to the world — through the products it's best known for — is exactly the kind of India we want to be part of building.
Patang started with a simple idea: the best snacks in this country have always come from somewhere specific. Now, with ODOP recognition, that "somewhere specific" carries a little more weight on the national stage.
More to share as this journey unfolds. Watch this space.
