Finally, Kalaburagi’s red gram gets GI tag, farmers to benefit
After a big struggle, finally tur dal (red gram) of kalaburagi which is known for its high quality, has received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
The GI tag was accorded on August 14. The application for the tag was filed by the University of Agriculture Sciences (UAS) Raichur and the Karnataka Red Gram Development Board under the guidance of ICRISAT Hyderabad with the Geographcal Indications (GI) Registry in September 2017.
Kalaburagi district is known as the Tur Bowl of Karnataka as it accounts for nearly 40 per cent of the tur dal production of the state with most of the population engaged in tur cultivation here. Of the total 9 lakh hectares of red gram cultivated area in the state, Kalaburagi district accounts for around 3.7 lakh hectares.
Another notable thing is that Kalaburagi has unique soil conditions like Parent Basalt rock that is congenial for growing high quality tur dal.
Moreover the tur dal grown here has a good taste and aroma and also takes less time to cook compared to tur grown elsewhere.
According to scientists in the UAS, the GI tag would help farmers get a premium price as it would create demand in the international market. "Over and above the minimum support price , farmers can get 10 per cent more price", the sources added.