How Kodungallur grew to become residence to the pottuvellari (snap melon) is the stuff of mythology. It is believed that the presiding deity of the Kodungallur Sree Kurumba Bhagavathy temple threw a handful of turmeric, paddy and pepper on the bottom out of which grew pottuvellari vegetation, bearing fruit for famished devotees. “It belongs to us!” says Sivadasan Polaserry, a pottuvellari farmer.
He has cause to really feel pleasure — the fruit is one amongst 5 agricultural merchandise from Kerala that have been just lately awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
Sivadasan Polasserry (left) together with his produce
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Sivadasan hails from a household that has been farming paddy and pottuvellari in Kodungallur for over 70 years. He has been on the forefront of the GI certification course of. “The buzz around the tag has generated curiosity and we have been getting so many enquiries,” he says, including “Now people cannot misuse the name ‘Kodungallur Pottuvelari.’ This is a source of great pride for us. “
The pottuvellari season is from December to May, ending right before the monsoon arrives, after which paddy is cultivated in these fields. Around 200 farmers in and around Kodungallur are engaged in the cultivation of this summer fruit, across 200-250 acres. Sivadasan harvests around 40-50 tonnes annually on his five-acre farm.
Among the many ways, a GI tag helps a product is by preventing unauthorised marketing, and giving access to customers to the authentic product. “GI tagging is a beautiful thing,” says Professor CR Elsy, former coordinator of the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) cell of the Kerala Agriculture University (KAU). “When IP components are given to a product it is an acknowledgement of its uniqueness as well as a community’s right over the produce. It is a source of pride for that region.”
(clockwise from high left) Onattukara Ellu, Kodungalloor Pottuvellari, Attappady Attukombu Avara, Attappady Thuvara and Kanthalloor-Vattavada Veluthulli.
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The different 4 agricultural merchandise from Kerala that have been just lately awarded GI tags, are Attapady Attukombu avara (dolichos beans), Attapady thuvara (purple gram), Kanthalloor-Vattavada veluthulli (garlic), and Onattukara ellu (sesame). “Getting a GI tag benefits the farmer. It increases demand and marketability,” says Elsy, who’s now retired, and had been on the helm of the IPR cell since its inception in 2003 till her retirement in 2021. Seventeen agricultural merchandise have been granted the GI registration through the interval.
Among the assorted standards that an software for GI standing warrants is the historical past of the product within the space. While historic proof of some merchandise is well-documented, these of others comparable to pottuvellari have been scanty, most of which was oral literature-based. After some work, Elsy and her analysis assistant discovered documentary proof of its presence within the space in panchayat paperwork of the Agriculture Department.
Vattavada garlic
It was very completely different within the case of Vattavada garlic, documented by British planter JD Munroe, who referenced garlic cultivation on the ‘Anchunad hills’ (current day Kanthallur, Keezhanthur, Karayur, Marayur and Kottakudi) in his writings.
The two varieties of garlic cultivated — malapoondu (hill garlic) and sigapu poondu (purple/brown garlic) — are stronger than common garlic and have the next oil content material. These are valued for his or her medicinal properties. A tough estimate places 75% of the world cultivated in Vattavada and Kanthalloor below garlic cultivation
The roadblock to getting the GI tag was getting a biochemical evaluation, a requirement to show the individuality of the appliance for GI registry. “It took three-and-a-half years of work. The analysis could not be done here as the material required for analysis of the garlic is not available in Kerala. It was done at a research centre outside Kerala,” explains Elsy.
Vattavada and Kanthalloor garlic is but to discover a market in Kerala. It is, nonetheless, in demand in Tamil Nadu, with most of it offered on the Vadukapetty Garlic Market, Theni, Tamil Nadu. Dried garlic sells at ₹250-₹300 out there, the charges fluctuate every day.
Likewise, Attapady thuvara has a thriving market in Tamil Nadu, due to entry to the market, which is nearer. Unlike the reddish thuvara from Tamil Nadu, these are white in color, greater and tastier. With near 700 hectares below cultivation, it’s consumed dry and as a vegetable. It is a supply of nourishment for the tribals as is Attapady avara. The flat beans are farmed primarily by the tribal folks, who domesticate them for his or her use.
Sesame, for the primary time
There are some firsts this time round just like the Onattukara ellu, which is likely one of the first sesame seeds within the nation to get a geographical indication tag, says Dr G Suja, former undertaking director and head of Onattukara Regional Agricultural Research Station, Kayamkulam. She and her crew did the work for the GI registry, which began in 2018 in full earnest. Initial conferences towards the certification have been in 2013, below Elsy and her crew.
Chelakkattu Radhakrishnan at his sesame farm
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Parts of three districts — Alappuzha, Kollam and Pathanamthitta, are residence to the brown-coloured Ayali sesame seeds and the kinds of seeds developed from it. The demand for these sesame seeds has spiked after the GI tag. “There is no doubt about the health benefits of our sesame seeds. Oil extracted from the seeds is valued for its medicinal properties. Thanks to the recognition, now people know about it I have been getting enquiries about our Onattukara ellu,” says Chelakkattu Radhakrishnan, who farms sesame seeds as a residual crop after paddy.
Onattukkara ellu
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SPECAL ARRANGMENT
He harvests a yield of round 140 kilograms from an acre. “I am sticking to what I usually cultivate, I am not increasing production to meet the new demand,” he provides. A farmer’s value is ₹250 -₹300 per kilogram of sesame seeds, and the oil is round ₹600 per litre, says Suja.
While the GI standing wouldn’t have been attainable with out the assistance of the previous Agriculture Minister of Kerala, Adv. VS Sunil Kumar, based on Elsy, the farmers now look in the direction of the current authorities for assist to maintain the momentum that the tag has given their merchandise.
Suja and Elsy make a robust case for utilizing the GI tag to the farmer’s benefit to generate demand, by making every product simply accessible, and thorough worth addition. “Besides ellu unda (balls made of sesame and jaggery) or candy, it can be adapted to other things such as peanut butter, for instance. Our dream is to develop a processing unit or laboratory for product development,” says Suja.
Elsy makes use of the recognition of Marayur jaggery, Vazhakkulam pineapple and Changalikodan nendran banana – “Look what happened to Marayur jaggery and Changalikodan banana? Popularity rose, as did the demand which hiked the prices which helps farmers and locals. Recognition such as this helps preserve biodiversity and conservation of a way of life.”
Source: www.thehindu.com
