http://timesofindia .indiatimes. com/city/ goa/Mancurad- may-join- elite-list/ articleshow/ 4226172.cms Mancurad may join elite list Paul Fernandes, TNN, 5 March 2009, 05:05am IST PANAJI: Geographical Indication (GI) could come the way of Goa’s mango king, Mancurad, and the sparkling purple Taleigao brinjal. With a GI status for the fiery local brew Feni almost in the bag, the Goa science, technology and environment department is considering such a status for other delicacies from Goa’s horticulture gardens.
These include Goa’s mouth-watering mango species, cow peas from Nerul and Verna-Cansaulim, ladyfingers and a pepper variety from Ponda, besides Taleigao’s brinjals. “Some varieties of ladyfingers with seven or nine ridges are found only in Goa and a few other parts of the country,” an officer from the agriculture department said. Officials said that alsane (cowpeas) grown in areas of Bardez and Salcete are unique to Goa as are some strains of pepper grown in Ponda. “GI helps to prevent promotion of lesser quality products and protects the interests of stakeholders before the brand is captured by others,” sources said, adding that information about these is being compiled for the purpose of filing applications for GI status. The process for obtaining a GI tag for feni took several years. Such recognition, though, is common abroad and products such as tequila (spirits), Jaffa (oranges) and Bordeaux (wines) have obtained it. The Himachal Pradesh government was the first in India to put in place a policy for registration of GIs of its state’s products. The Kulu shawl and Kangra tea were granted recognition in December 2005 under Geographical Indications (GIs) of Goods Act, 1999. HP is also considering GI status for angoori, a wine, and red rice. “Korgutt, a hardy red kernel rice variety also needs to be protected,” says Amancio Fernandes, assistant director, agriculture department. Though the delicious Mancurad variety of mango is highly prized, its production is negligible as it has not taken off as a commercial crop. As for other vegetables like the Taleigao brinjal, they are grown in limited varieties as a horticultural crop and sold in local markets. The Taleigao brinjal is a much sought after vegetable. “A brinjal of the first crop can fetch up to Rs 25 to Rs 30 per piece. People like to make vaigann bhart (roasted brinjal dish),” says Sunita Murgaonkar, a Caranzalem-based grower. The speciality from Taleigao’s sandy soils finds competition in offerings from Sulabhat, Agassaim in Panaji market. “Brinjals from Sulabhat are also good, but ours are preferred as are our sweet potatoes grown in more sandy soil,” adds Mukta Murgaonkar another brinjal grower. However, the Murgaonkars said that the brinjal crop was poor this year. __._,_.___ MARKETPLACE Going Green: Your Yahoo! Groups resource for green living Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use . __,_._,___
