Arecanut also called supari or betel nut is the latest entrant in the list of agricultural produce with a geographical indication (GI) tag.
The Registrar of Geographical Indications on 4th March granted a GI tag, ‘Sirsi Supari’, to arecanut grown in Siddpaur, Sirsi and Yellapur taluks of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka.
A Sirsi-based agri cooperative, the Totagars’ Cooperative Sale Society (TSS) Ltd, is the registered proprietor of the GI ‘Sirsi Supari’.
According to the World Intellectual Property Organisation GI is a mark used on products that have a specific geographical origin & possess qualities or a status that are due to that origin.
General Manager of TSS Ltd, Ravish Hegde told media that the cooperative started the process of obtaining a geographical indication tag in the year 2013. Hegde said that ‘Sirsi Supari’ is medium sized, round in shape and has a fairly ash coloured hard seed. Moreover, the fruit of ‘Sirsi Supari’ becomes yellow to scarlet in colour as it ripens. It also contains a thick fibrous pericarp (husk) that enfolds this seed.
Hegde further said that ‘Sirsi Supari’ is unique in flavor from arecanuts grown in other parts of the country because of the differences in the chemical composition of different arecanuts.
He added that grown in an area of around 40,000 acres, the yearly production of ‘Sirsi Supari’ is estimated to be approximately 40,000 tonnes. Arecanut production in these 3 taluks is nearly 7 % of the production of Karnataka state.
Mentioning that ‘Sirsi Supari’ is suitable for white as well as red varieties, Hegde said around 65 % of the production is white arecanut.
He added that the GI tag will ensure the authenticity of arecanut grown in these taluks and will also guarantee a better market for ‘Sirsi Supari’.
