SHANKARAPURA (UDUPI): This small town in Udupi taluk, Karnataka has shown how a micro economic model can be developed into a global player. The Shankarapura jasmine, endemic to this town and in a 2-km radius around it, has become a commercial crop having buyers all along the western coast, in Bengaluru, and in Dubai, Qatar and a few pockets in the United Kingdom.
The Shankarapura jasmine, accorded Geographical Indication status in 2008, received the central government’s official approval in 2013.The GI status means the produce is limited to the particular region of Shankarapura, considering its soil and climate requirements. It also means that no one from any other territory can claim the patent on this flower other than the Shankarapura farmers.
The growers and traders of this special variety of jasmine have created their own pricing mechanism which is on the lines of many micro commercial crops like Mattu Gulla (an endemic variety of brinjal), arecanut and cocoa. The market rate for the flower is decided in Shankarapura town by flower merchants on a daily basis depending on the supply and demand for flowers. The price per ‘atti’, a set of four garlands intricately woven with precise count, varies from `250 to `800.
This flower is predominantly used in wedding ceremonies, religious functions and it is a must in folk theatres like Bhoota Kola and Nagamandala.