Abstract
Cultivation of GW-1 Durum (Triticum Durum Desf, Tetraploid Wheat) under conserved soil moisture condition (CSMC) is unique to the Bhal (saline) and coastal agro-climatic region of Gujarat, India. Popularly known as Bhalia wheat, there is historical evidence that CSMC was in practice since the early 1940s in Gujarat. This nutritious golden colour wheat fetches a higher price for the farmers compared to the irrigated wheat. Drawn from a larger study on geographical indications (GI) in agricultural sector in India, this study found that soil conservation and land preparation practices are rich in traditional knowledge, involve social cohesion and provide employment. Cost of cultivation of Bhalia wheat is less, as it is not susceptible to pests and diseases. However, in comparison with the irrigated wheat, the yield from CSMC wheat is relatively less. Besides the self-consumption, farmers cater to a small segment of traders and consumers who are willing to pay more and insist on buying the pure CSMC wheat directly from farmers. Changes in the consumers’ preference in favour of readymade flour to make bread, demands from urbanisation, changing climate and the availability of canal water in the Bhal area leading to reduction in area under Bhalia wheat. Though Bhalia wheat has the GI registration in India, the awareness about uniqueness and GI label is limited. Effective use of the GI label to attract consumers based on the nutrition value of the wheat would provide a boost to this sustainable cultivation tradition and prevent cultural erosion.
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Notes
Information provided here is drawn from the GI journal (Government of India 2011).
Directorate of Agriculture (u.d.).
Figures in parentheses indicate the percentage of land under unirrigated conditions to the total area under wheat cultivation.
Interviews with the scientists from Anand Agricultural University, Anand, who played an important role in filing the GI application for Bhalia wheat.
The objective of GAICL is to ‘protect and safeguard the interest of Farmers and Producers in the state’, the agency became the applicant for Bhalia wheat GI. Its activities include support in providing farm input, training the farmers on harvesting and post-harvest management of agriculture products.
The Indian Council of Social Science Research supported this study titled “Geographical Indication Protected Agricultural Products from the Select States of India: An Enquiry into the Economic, Livelihood and Institutional Aspects,” and the study was done in collaboration with Council for Social Development, Hyderabad.
Sandesh, Anand Avruti 7 April 2018: 3.
According to Article 22.1 of the GI Act, “A registered GI is infringed by a person who not being an authorised user (AU) thereof (a) uses such GI by any means in the designations or presentation of goods that indicates or suggests that such goods originate in a geographical area other than the true place of origin of such goods in a manner which misleads the persons as the geographical origin of such goods: or (b) uses any GI in such manner which constitutes an act of unfair competition including passing off in respect of registered GI” (Government of India 1999).
This online survey is part of the larger study mentioned in footnote no. 6 and cited as Lalitha et al. (2020) in the paper.
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Acknowledgements
This paper is drawn from a larger study titled Geographical Indication Protected Agricultural Products from Select States of India: An Inquiry into the Economic, Livelihood and Institutional Aspects supported by the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi. The authors express their sincere gratitude to all the respondent farmers who were generous with their time. Sincere thanks are due to Professor Leela Visaria and the two referees of the Journal whose comments helped us to improve the paper significantly. Research assistance extended by Megha Sanghavi, Bharat Adhyaru, Rohit Rawal and Halak Bhatt is gratefully acknowledged.
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Lalitha, N., Bandi, M. & Vinayan, S. Bhalia wheat in Gujarat: Does geographical indication registration have a role in arresting the decline?. J. Soc. Econ. Dev. 23 (Suppl 1), 93–112 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40847-020-00137-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40847-020-00137-7