The Kalaburagi red gram, “Gulbarga Tur Dal”, which is known internationally for its superior quality, will soon be added to the list of Karnataka producers with the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

Dean of Agriculture College Jayaprakash R. Patil and senior agriculture scientist Raju Teggalli, addressing presspersons at the Agriculture Research Station in Kalaburagi on Wednesday, said that the University of Agriculture Sciences (UAS) Raichur and the Karnataka Red Gram Development Board, with the help of ICRISAT, Intellectual Property Facilitation Centre (IPFC), Hyderabad, filed an application with the Geographical Indications (GI) Registry in September 2017. Geographical Indication (GI) tag for “Gulbarga Tur Dal” will be awarded within a month from now.

Dr. Patil said that the red gram grown here has distinctive features having to do with this region’s unique soil and climatic conditions. The prominent characteristics of the crop grown in Kalaburagi district are good taste and aroma compared to those grown elsewhere. It consumes less time to cook when compared to tur dal grown in other regions.

Dr. Teggalli added that initially conferring of GI status may not work wonders for the farmers of the district, but in the long run, farmers and manufactures will be able to get better price for the brand in the market.

Red gram is considered to be the main kharif crop in the region. Of the total 9 lakh hectares of red gram cultivated across the State, 3.7 lakh hectares under red gram is in Kalaburagi district.

Farm scientist Muniswamy said that securing GI for the product will help farmers in getting premium price and creating international demand for produces. “The ultimate beneficiaries of this whole process are farmers,” he added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Kalaburagi – January 10th, 2018