Hyderabad: The Tandoor Red Gram is now a Registered GI of Telangana. With Tandur GI registration, Telangana got its 16th GI product registered.
The GI registration process was facilitated by the Prof. Jaya Shankar Telangana Agricultural University. Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University’s Agricultural Research Station helped in providing guidance, research and technical data required for the application.
With this, the total number of GI registrations in the country has reached to 432 Registered GI and more than 1000 applications have been filed till date.
Products like Hyderabad Lac Bangles and Warangal Chepta (chillies) for which already application have been filed will help to further increase the numbers for Telangana. GI agent Subhajit Saha of the Resolute Group filed and represented the application on behalf of Yalal Farmers Producers Company Limited.
He mentioned that agricultural products like Nizamabad Turmeric, Balanagar Custard apple and many others have to be explored and studied for GI registration.
About Tandur Red Gram
Tandur Red Gram is a local variety of pigeon pea which is mainly grown in the rainfed tract of the Tandur and nearby region of Telangana The four districts Vikarabad, Narayanpet, Sanga Reddy and Adilabad alone contribute for more than 50% of total area (1.74 Lakh Hectares).
The fertile deep black soil with huge deposits of Attapulgite clay mineral specifically in Tandur Region along with huge limestone deposits can be attributed for the specific quality traits of Tandur Redgram. Tandur Redgram contains about 22-24 percent protein, which is almost three times that of cereals. It has a very good taste, better cooking quality as well as enhanced keeping quality.
The GI tag will help to increase demand for the processed red gram dal i.e., toor Dal in international markets. Currently, around 63,500 families (including farmers, cultivators, agricultural labourers, and traders) in the region are involved in the cultivation of ‘Tandur Redgram’ in Telangana.
The estimated total production relating to ‘Tandur Redgram’ is about 4.75 lakh Quintal in a given year from the Tandur Region of Telangana.
