The first-grade lemons from the Puliyankudi market. File photo
Three Tamil Nadu-based products — the Puliyankudi acid lime, Thooyamalli rice and Virudhunagar sambha vathal (Chilly) have applied for a Geographical Indication (GI) tag here in Chennai on Monday.
Details on all these three products were collated and prepared by IPR attorney P. Sanjai Gandhi on behalf of the applicants.
The application for the Puliyankudi acid lime was made by the Tamil Nadu State Agricultural Marketing Board and Melapuliyankudi Farmers’ Association. The NABARD Madurai Agri Business Incubation Forum was the facilitator.
Puliyankudi, a village in Tenkasi, is famous for acid lime cultivation. Among local people this place is called the lemon city of Tamil Nadu. Kadayam lemon here is popular for its taste and juiciness. Acid lime trees are small and bushy with sharp spines. Leaves are small with narrowly winged petioles. The flowers and fruits are small. The lemon grown in this region weighs about 50g and each tree bears around 950 fruits. It is grown in Puliyankudi, Sankarankovil, Kadayam, Kadayanallur and Kuruvikulam and adjoining areas.
The Virudhunagar Chillies’ Merchants Association, along with Tamil Nadu State Agricultural Marketing Board, has applied for GI tag for Virudhunagar sambha vathal. In Tamil Nadu, chillies are mainly grown in the districts of Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Sivagangai and Thoothukudi and the major markets for them are also located here. The long slender shape of chillies grown in the Sattur, Virudhunagar and Vilathikulam areas is called Virudhunagar sambha chilli. These chillies are bright red and its length is 6-6.5 cm with a sharp tip and bulged shoulders. Having a good capsaicin content, these chillies are preferred in value addition industry, especially for oleoresin extraction.
The Tamil Nadu State Agricultural Marketing Board is the applicant for Thooyamalli rice and this was facilitated by NABARD Madurai Agri Business Incubation Forum. Thooyamalli rice, which literally means pure jasmine, is cultivated during the sambha season for a period of 135-140 days. The seeds are directly sown and transplanting system is used for growing this variety. It grows up to the height between 115–125cm and yields about 1,125 kg/acre and the straw yield will be 35 bundles (1,050 kg/acre). It is rich in protein and has high-fat content. In terms of minerals, it is high in iron, magnesium and zinc.
In the last one week, the GI head office in Chennai has also received applications from various products across the country like West Bengal’s Kolkatti jewellerry and Begampur cotton handloom saree. Application has also been filed for Goa Hilario Mango (Manghilar or Mangilar/Mangilal) and Taleigao Vayingim (brinjal) from Goa.
A Geographical Indication (GI) is a label that is applied to products that have a specific geographical origin and that have characteristics that are related to that particular location. The owner of the GI tag has exclusive rights over the product.
