Arecanut (also known as supari or betel nut) is the latest entrant in the list of agricultural produce with a GI (geographical indication) tag.
On March 4, the Registrar of Geographical Indications, Government of India, accorded a GI tag, ‘Sirsi Supari’, to arecanut grown in Sirsi, Siddpaur and Yellapur taluks of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka.
The Totagars’ Cooperative Sale Society (TSS) Ltd, a Sirsi-based agri cooperative, is the registered proprietor of the GI ‘Sirsi Supari’.
The World Intellectual Property Organisation defines GI as a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
Ravish Hegde, General Manager of TSS Ltd, told BusinessLine that the cooperative began the process of obtaining a GI tag in 2013.
‘Sirsi Supari’ is medium sized and round in shape. It has a somewhat ash coloured hard seed, Hegde said. The fruit of ‘Sirsi Supari’ turns from yellow to scarlet as it ripens, and consists of a thick fibrous pericarp (husk) that encloses this seed.
Hegde said that ‘Sirsi Supari’ is unique in taste from arecanuts grown in other parts of the country due to the differences in the chemical composition of different arecanuts.
Grown on an area of around 40,000 acres, the annual production of ‘Sirsi Supari’ is estimated to be around 40,000 tonnes. Production of arecanut in these three taluks is around 7 per cent of the production of Karnataka State, he said.
Stating that ‘Sirsi Supari’ is suited for both white and red varieties, he said around 65 per cent of the production is white arecanut.
The GI tag will guarantee the authenticity of arecanut grown in these taluks, and ensure a better market for ‘Sirsi Supari’, he added.