GI tag sought for three Tamil Nadu-based products

Puliyankudi acid lime, Thooyamalli rice and have applied for the tag

Three Tamil Nadu-based products — the Puliyankudi acid lime, Thooyamalli rice and Virudhunagar sambha vathal (Chilly) have applied for a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in Chennai. Details on all these three products were collated and prepared by IPR attorney P. Sanjai Gandhi on behalf of the applicants.

The application for the Puliyankudi acid lime was made by the Tamil Nadu State Agricultural Marketing Board and Melapuliyankudi Farmers’ Association. The NABARD Madurai Agri Business Incubation Forum was the facilitator.

Puliyankudi, a village in Tenkasi, is famous for acid lime cultivation. Among local people this place is called the lemon city of Tamil Nadu. Kadayam lemon here is popular for its taste and juiciness. Acid lime trees are small and bushy with sharp spines. Leaves are small with narrowly winged petioles. The flowers and fruits are small. The lemon grown in this region weighs about 50g and each tree bears around 950 fruits. It is grown in Puliyankudi, Sankarankovil, Kadayam, Kadayanallur and Kuruvikulam and adjoining areas.

The Virudhunagar Chillies’ Merchants Association, along with Tamil Nadu State Agricultural Marketing Board, has applied for GI tag for Virudhunagar sambha vathal. In Tamil Nadu, chillies are mainly grown in the districts of Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Sivagangai and Thoothukudi and the major markets for them are also located here.

The Tamil Nadu State Agricultural Marketing Board is the applicant for Thooyamalli rice and this was facilitated by NABARD Madurai Agri-Business Incubation Forum. The seeds are directly sown and the transplanting system is used for growing this variety.

Puliyankudi acid lime, Thooyamalli rice and have