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Kachchhi Kharek, indigenous dates of Kutch, become Gujarat’s 2nd fruit to get GI tag.
Jan 16, 2024

Kachchhi Kharek, the indigenous variety of dates of Kutch, has become the second fruit of Gujarat to get a geographical indication (GI) tag from the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDT) of India. Jubilant farmers of the semi-arid district have hailed the decision.

The office of the CGPDT awarded a certificate of GI to Kuchchhi Kharek or Kutchi dates earlier this month on January 2 after granting an application filed by the Unidates Farmer Producer Company Limited (UFPCL), a farmer producer organisation of Kutch.

The application was initiated in June 2021 by Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agriculture University (SDAU) through CM Muralidharan, the then-research scientist at SDAU’s Date Palm Research Station in Mundra, Kutch. Later, however, the SDAU became a facilitator and made the UFPCL the applicant.

'This is great news for date palm growers of Kutch as a GI tag for their kharek will give their produce a unique identity. That, in turn, will open new avenues of marketing and processing of these tasty fruits,' Muralidharan, who is now director of research and dean of postgraduate studies at SDAU, told The Indian Express.

With this, fresh dates of Kutch become the second fruit from Gujarat to get a GI tag. In 2011, Gir kesar mango — grown in present-day Junagadh, Gir Somnath and Amreli districts of Saurashtra — was given the GI tag. The same year, Bhalia wheat grown in Bhal region abutting central Gujarat and Saurashtra regions of Gujarat was also awarded the tag.

'The presence of dates in Kachchh (Kutch) is believed to be around 400-500 years old. It is believed that date palm groves along the north-western border of India have developed from the seeds thrown by the settlers, who used to visit Middle-East countries for Haj and also for trade from where they brought a lot of plant material. It is also probable that the Arab gardeners working in the palaces of the former rulers of Kachchh might also have contributed to the import of the date seeds and offshoots from Arab countries,' GI Journal published by CGPTD in August last year recorded while quoting from UFPCL application.

Muralidharan said that there are around two million date palms in Kutch today and around 1.7 million of them are seedling-origin palms of deshi (indigenous) varieties. 'Because they are seedling propagated palms, each of them is a unique palm in itself, representing a vast range of diversity in characteristics. Dates borne by these palms have diverse colours, size, shape, and taste, making the fruits grown in Kutch unique and hence eligible for a GI tag,' the Dean said.

Dates grown in Kutch are harvested at the khalal stage, the stage when fruits have matured, accumulated sucrose, and have turned red or yellow but are still crisp. In other countries, they are allowed to ripen further till they become soft and dark brown or black in colour.

'Probably, Kachchh is the only place around the globe where fresh dates are economically cultivated, marketed, and consumed. The area is accounting for more than 85 % of total dates palm cultivation in India,' the GI Journal further notes.

Date palms flower in January-February and kharek or fresh dates are harvested in June-July in Kutch where the southwest monsoon reaches later than other parts of Gujarat. 'These dates in Kutch have to be harvested at khalal stage as they can’t withstand moist weather,' Muralidharan said.

According to the Gujarat government, 19,251 ha (hectares) in Kutch is under date palm cultivation, which is 94 per cent of the state’s total date palm cultivation area of 20,446 ha.

Hailing the development, Vikramsinh Jadeja, General Secretary of Kutch Date Palm Growers Association (KDPGA), an organisation of farmers in Kutch, said, 'We will be able to do branding of our fresh dates on the lines of Gir Kesar mango. The GI tag will increase consumer confidence in our fruits and that in turn will help farmers realise better prices.'

indianexpress.com

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