Seven GI products of Mysuru among 48 products on display at CFTRI

Mysore/Mysuru: The four-day GI Mahotsav 3.0, organised by Madurai Agri Business Incubation Forum (MABIF), was inaugurated at CSIR – Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in the city this morning.

The event has been organised in collaboration with Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) and CFTRI. It concludes on Dec. 8.

As part of the programme, the exhibition of 48 Geographical Indicator (GI) products has been organised at 54 stalls, set up at CFTRI premises. It will be open from 10 am to 5 pm.

The highlight of expo is seven GI products of Mysuru — Mysore Mallige (Mysore Jasmine flower), Mysore Veelyedele (Betel leaf), Nanjangud Rasabale variety of banana, Mysore Sandal Soap by Karnataka Soaps and Detergent Limited (KS&DL), Mysore Traditional Paintings, Mysore Rosewood Inlay, Mysore Agarbathi and Ganjifa cards of Mysore.

Notable among other GI products are: Coorg Orange, Channapatna dolls, Byadgi Chilli from Byadgi in Haveri district, Monsooned Malabar Arabica Coffee of Coffee Board, Indi Lime, Gulbarga Tur Dal, Karnataka Handicraft Department, Kolhapuri Chappal from LIDKAR, Hase Chittara, Udupi Sarees, Dharwad Pedha, Marthandam Honey, Thanjavur Netti Work, Kovilpatti Kadalai Mittai, Nilgiri tea, Palakkadan Mata Rice to name a few, spanning the States of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Kodaikanal Malai Poondu (Bellulli in Kannada), a distinct variety of garlic from TN, which has five medicinal qualities and a shelf life up to one year, is also on display.

For foodies, Manapparai Murukku, a distinct variety of crunchy snack from Tiruchi in Tamil Nadu, which got the GI tag in 2023, is also a part of the exhibition.

CFTRI Director Dr. Giridhar Parvatam said, the previous two GI Mahotsav was held in Madurai and  Kanyakumari respectively and third is being held in Mysuru. Buoyed by the good response, the event is organised here to market the products further and make the artisans and farmers involved in the production of these distinct products more self-reliable, so that the derive inspiration from them.

“India’s  GI Products command a good demand in USA, UK and other countries. Rural products and farm products get more priority, with an aim to generate local employment opportunities. The farmers and craftsmen should make use of the facilities available to tap the GI tag,” he added.

Speaking at the press meet later, Dr. Parvatam said, the event is not just restricted to CFTRI food products, but also for the agriculture, handicrafts, leather and other diversified products.

Earlier, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between CFTRI and MABIF.

Dr. D. Usharani, Senior Principal Scientist, CFTRI, proposed the vote of thanks. Dr. P.P. Mahendran, Dean, AC & RI, TANU Campus, Madurai, Dr.P. Somasundaram, Director, DABD, TNAU, Coimbatore and S. Senthil Vinayagam, Director, IIPM, were present.