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Vellore Spiny Brinjal, Ramnad Mundu Chilli conferred GI tag in Tamil Nadu
Feb 28, 2023

Two new products -- Vellore Spiny Brinjal and Ramanathapuram Mundu Chilli - of Tamil Nadu, have been conferred the prestigious Geographical Indications (GI) tag for their unique physical and geographical characteristics. As the mandatory four-month notice period for the projects is over on February 21, they are now deemed to have been registered as GI products.

With this, the total number of Tamil Nadu products that have earned GI recognition has risen to 45, placing the state at number two spot. Karnataka has got maximum GI tags with 46. Kerala is in third position with 36 GI products.

Vellore Spiny Brinjal, known as Elavambadi Mullu Kathirikai in Tamil, is a rare, thorny native breed grown in Vellore district. The vegetable is oval in shape and has a glossy shade of violet mixed with pink colour with a tinge of green in the distal end. The average weight of a single spiny brinjal is 40 grams, and it has a shelf life of three days under room temperature, and about eight days in refrigerated surrounding.

Spiny Brinjals are rich in protein (2%) and vitamin C content (10.5mg/100gm). It is considered tastier than other brinjal varieties and it requires adapted cultivation or farming techniques to produce a quality crop. It has a unique power to resist pest and disease attacks. The thorns present in all parts of the brinjal plant, except the fruit, make the crop highly distinctive and recognizable. The fruit is soft and fleshy and it is a cluster-bearing variety that yields about 40-45 tonnes per hectare in a duration of 140-150 days.

Relying on historical data, including village land records like 'Adangal' which have entries of farmers involved in cultivation of this brinjal for centuries, Government advocate and IPR Attorney P Sanjai Gandhi made the GI application on behalf of the South India Multi-State Agriculture Cooperative Society Limited based in Vellore.

The Vellore Spiny Brinjal can be baked, barbecued, fried, roasted, steamed or even pickled. It is also a favoured dish along with briyani, brinjal serwa, sambar, poriyal and evening snacks. It has high tolerance to drought and high temperature and is uniquely linked to the agro-climatic conditions in Vellore region.

'Former chief minister M Karunanidhi, while inaugurating the Vellore Uzhavar Sandhai (Farmers Market) specifically mentioned Vellore Spiny Brinjal, describing its rare qualities,' said Sanjai Gandhi, adding that contemporary travellers and bloggers too have documented its unique taste in journals and blogs. Application for the pungent Ramanathapuram Mundu Chilli was made by Ramnad Mundhu Chilli Producer Company Limited. Mundu, which in Tamil means 'fat and round,' belongs to Capiscumannum species. It is a round shaped chilli popular in South Indian cuisine and used as food colourant. It has a dark shiny and thick skin and is a directly sown rain-fed crop grown. It is also highly tolerant to drought and salinity. It is a low input crop as farmers use the seeds of their previous crop for next season. For direct sowing, three to four ploughings are undertaking, and sowing is done in the last ploughing.

It is grown mainly in Tiruvadanai, RS Mangalam, Mudukulathur, Kadaladi and Kamuthi taluks of Ramanathapuram district. It has a continuous recorded history of cultivation in this district for over 200 years and is known for its rich taste and aroma. For better yields, farmer pick ripened fruit frequently and they are dried on tarpaulin sheets or on raised cement platforms. A crop yields 3-4 pickings. The dried pods are exported to Sri Lanka, Nepal, the USA, Europe, Thailand and Japan.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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