Erode turmeric gets GI tag after an 8-year process

The tag is a name or sign used on products that correspond to a specific location

The application said Erode turmeric was a traditional cultivar of India.

After an eight-year-long process, Erode turmeric on Wednesday finally got a Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the Geographical Indication Registry.

The Erode Manjal Vanigargal Matrum Kidangu Urimaiyalargal Sangham applied for the GI tag on January 4, 2011, at the office of the Deputy Registrar of GI Registry in Chennai.

A Geographical Indication is a name or sign used on certain products that correspond to a specific geographical location or origin.

The application and supporting documents said Erode turmeric was a traditional cultivar of India, grown in Erode, pointed out Chinnaraj G. Naidu, Deputy Registrar of Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai. The cultivar is called Erode local, i.e., Chinnanadan.

Erode turmeric is a rhizome, both finger and bulb obtained from the Erode local cultivar.

Claim for uniqueness

In its claim for uniqueness, the application said the mean length of the fingers of Erode turmeric was about 4.15cm and the mean circumference was about 3.03cm. The mean bulb length of the mother rhizome is about 4.54cm and the mean circumference is 6.54cm.

Quality parameters of the turmeric included 2.5 to 4.5% of curcumin content, a golden yellow colour and resistence to pests after boiling.

The applicant association used an economic analysis of production and marketing of turmeric in Erode district by N. Kiruthika of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in 2009 as a supporting document. The crop is grown in hot moist conditions prevalent in the area with temperature ranging from 20 degrees to 37.9 degrees Celsius with an average of 600 to 800 mm rainfall in a year.