March 28, 2024

Paull Ank Ford

Business Think different

Farmers seek GI tag for Wada Kolam rice

Right after the Dahanu-Gholvad chikoo fruit from Palghar district of Maharashtra getting Geographical Sign (GI) tags, initiatives are currently being created to get a GI tag for Wada Kolam rice, which is a exclusive fragrant wide variety cultivated in the Wada taluka of the district.

On June 29, a ultimate application was created with GI Registry for acquiring the tag. The GI Registry is a component of the Place of work of the Controller Typical of Patents, Styles and Trade Marks.

Wada Kolam rice wide variety is cultivated only in coastal Palghar district, which was carved out of the gigantic Thane district in 2014. Palghar has a exclusive agro-local climate because of to proximity to the Arabian sea as also to the woody Sahyadri mountain assortment. The fertile land also generates chikoo or sapota fruit, which received a GI tag in January 2017.

The energy to get the GI tag has been spearheaded by distinguished Mental Home attorney Ganesh Hingmire and nearby farmer households from Wada taluka. Hingmire informed BusinessLine that Wada Kolam rice is incredibly a lot sought immediately after in the current market because of to its flavour, thus several rice mill owners mis-promote their rice kinds as Wada Kolam. The GI tag to the rice wide variety will give superior charges to the Wada farmers. It will bring traceability and accountability to the Wada Kolam rice trade.

Farmer Vaibhav Patil from Wada, secretary of the nearby farmer cooperative culture that has carried out the data collecting and qualifications to getting the GI tag, said that in all of Wada taluka only about 250 farmers cultivate the wide variety more than about two,500 hectares of land. Since the land is fertile, only cow dung is utilised as manure, no other chemical is utilised.

On the other hand, the wide variety has a decrease produce, as out of 100 quintals of paddy only forty five quintals of polished rice receives developed, when other kinds produce about 55 quintals. For that reason some farmers are considerably less inclined to plant this wide variety. Right now, Wada farmers get ₹40 for every kg. But if GI tag is received the rate could maximize to ₹80-ninety and the location less than Wada Kolam could effortlessly rise to 5,000 hectares, he said.