Millers get lessons on authentic GI-tagged Gulbarga Tur Dal in Telangana

HYDERABAD: At a training programme hosted by the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Raichur and ICRISAT, 16 beneficiaries were awarded an “authorised user certificate” of GI-tagged Gulbarga Tur Dal as granted by the Geographical Indications Registry, Government of India.

With counterfeit products of GI tagged ‘Gulbarga Tur Dal’ (pigeonpea) being sold at a 30 % higher cost, farmers and millers were mentored to leverage the GI tag to maximise its commercial value and prevent counterfeits taking their revenue. The programme enlightened the authorised users on ways to discover and identify tur dal being sold as GI-tagged Gulbarga Tur Dal in the market. 

“The tag offers benefits to both consumers and producers, leading to the overall economic prosperity of rural communities. An exclusive logo distinguishes the original from the counterfeit products, thus guaranteeing quality to the consumer,” said Dr Surya Mani Tripathi, Head, of Legal Services, ICRISAT, who was instrumental in facilitating the GI tag for the Gulbarga Tur Dal.

Gulbarga Tur Dal, renowned for its superior quality the world over, received the GI tag from the Government of India in 2019. The soil in Gulbarga is rich in calcium and potassium, giving the tur dal a unique taste, aroma, nutritional value, and cooking properties.