Talala Gir Kesar Keri Mangoes – get Geographical Indication for GI Registry Chennai

Geographical Indication's Registry in Chennai gave geographical indication (GI) tag to Talala Sasan Gir Kesar Mangoes and Bhalia wheat from Gujarat.

Junagadh Agriculture University and Gujarat Agro Industries had applied for the tag on behalf of Junagadh farmers.

The new status would help prevent sale of ordinary Kesar mangoes, grown mostly in Junagadh and Amreli districts, as Gir Kesar.

The entire area around the Gir sanctuary would be home to this variety and only those grown in this area would be known as Gir Kesar.

Mangoes from other parts of the state would be called Kesar though.

The taste of Kesar Keri from the Gir area was different from the varieties grown elsewhere.
The fine ranges from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh under the Geographical Indication of Goods (registration and protection) Act, 1999.

Bhalia is a long grain of wheat grown without irrigation for centuries in the Bhal region of Gujarat.

The wheat has high protein content and has a sweet taste.

Bhal region is spread across Bhavnagar and Ahmedabad districts.

Junagadh Agriculture University vice Chancellor Interview about Crops Life with Rains

Rains give new lease of life to crops in Saurashtra region
As monsoons made their presence felt in Saurashtra this week, the farmers of the region were one happy lot as this rain has saved their crops.

Though bit delayed, the recent rainfall in the region has given a new lease of life to the groundnut and cotton crop.

During the last two days, Rajkot, Porbandar and Amreli districts of Saurashtra region witnessed rainfall and the meteorology department has predicted heavy rainfall in the coming two days across the region as well.

As per Latest Junagadh Agriculture University vice Chancellor N C Patel Interviews, he said that, "Rainfall is crucial for both the groundnut and cotton crop. If the rains had delayed further, it would have hit these two crops severely."

"The rains that were witnessed in the last two days have saved the early sowing of crops. But we need substantial rainfall for further sowing."

The sowing process will take some more time as these rains are not enough for new sowing.
As per the data provided by the district agriculture department, the sowing area is still below expectation. The total area of groundnut covered is 4, 64,860 hectares this year in and SaurashtraKutch, which is only 30 percent of the last year's total of 1, 5, 75, 819 hectares.

Similarly in cotton so far 3,20089 hectares sowing has been done which was 17,60,238 hectares last year and just 18 percent area has been covered in cotton in Saurashtra region.

Former President of Solvent extractors association of India (SEA) said that, "More Govindbhai Patelrainfall will definitely prove conducive for the sowing process. As the weather changes and the possibility of rain increases, sowing activity will increase in many parts of Saurashtra."

Kesar Mango Keri – The real taste of Mango

With a rich haul of Kesar mangoes, the Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation has decided to brand the fruit nationally. Production of the fruit is estimated to cross 10 lakh tonnes this season.

The Junagadh Agriculture University and the GAIC have estimated the production of Kesar at 10 lakh tonnes, which is more than three times the production registered last year.
The Corporation is also planning to certify naturally ripened Kesar mangoes and build Brand Kesar to market the fruit nationally as well as internationally.

As part of the Corporation’s efforts to distribute the fruit nationally, 50,000 boxes of Kesar will be transported to the Delhi Haat for display and sale.

“The sale of Kesar Keri is the highest in Ahmedabad City. People in Delhi are hardly aware of the taste of the mango. An effort will be made to popularize the fruit by encouraging people to taste the fruit. No one can resist the taste. We are confident that they will keep coming back for more,” said D Thara, Managing Director of the GAIC.

The GAIC is also in touch with the National Horticulture Board Gurgaon. The Board has tie-ups with several malls in Delhi. The mangoes will be distributed through these malls.
Once the fruit gains popularity in Delhi, it will be then distributed across six major cities including Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata.

Thara said that to get certification, the fruits will have to meet the standards prescribed for organic mangoes.

The managing director said the production of mango has been good due to good weather. “We have decided to export Kesar Mangoes in a big way.

We have invited the opinion of traders regarding possible markets where the fruits can be sold. We have a rich tradition to live up to. Gujarat will turn 50 on May 1 but the Kesar is 75 years old. We will celebrate its diamond jubilee with passion.”

Junagadh Agriculture University JAU - Two News Varieties of Groundnut

There is good news for farmers in the drought-prone Gujarat. Junagadh Agriculture University(JAU) scientists have developed two new varieties of groundnut — one for Kharif Crops and other for summer season. Both varieties promise to give better yield per hectare leading to reduced consumption of water, pesticides and fertilizers.

The varieties, named as Groundnut-9 and GG-31, were cleared by the Agriculture Research and Extension Council, the apex body in the state in agricultural research, at a recent meet held at JAU. At the meet, attended by leading scientists and top officials of all the four agriculture universities, including Junagadh Agriculture University Vice Chancellor N C Patel and Anand Agriculture University Vice Chancellor M C Vaishnav, 16 new varieties of various crops including sesame, millet, brinjal, turmeric and chilly were introduced.

Following the clearance to new varieties by the apex body, the two seeds will now be taken for multiplication by the university and in a year’s time they will be available in the market.

R L Savaliya, Director, Education department at JAU, said that Groundnut-9 is a Kharif variety which can give a yield of 1,632 kg per hectare. The three sub-varieties of Groundnut-9, including JG2, JG5 and JG7, give 30 per cent, 20.5 per cent and 15.5 per cent higher yield. It also gives higher kernel yield and has better oil percentage. Besides, it is tolerant to stem rot decease and pests like Gassid Thrises.

The second variety that has also got clearance from the apex body is a special summer variety – GG-31 – that gives 36.9 per cent higher yield. It has showed superiority in the quality of pod and kernel. This variety has been recommended for summer season because of is higher resistance to Gassid Thrises, halophiles and incidences of bud necrosis.

Mango Productions Junagadh Ahmedabad News Gujarat India

Gujarat State may clinch the pole position in mango production this year edging past Andhra Pradesh.

Hopeful of clinching the top spot, Gujarat Agriculture Minister Dilip Sanghani said: “There will be a bumper mango production in Gujarat this year. Five years ago, Gujarat was in sixth position. Last year, we were in second spot. We hope to emerge first in mango production in the country this year.” Sanghani said: “The average mango productivity in India is 17 tonnes per hectare of land. Last year, Gujarat’s productivity was 24 tonnes per hectare. This year, it can go up to 26 tonnes per hectare and we may emerge first in mango production in India.” According to reports, mango harvest will be poor in Andhra Pradesh this year. This summer, Amdavadis will have the privilege of savouring cheaper Kesar mangoes longer.

Thanks to its bumper harvest. Bolstered by additional flowerings, green Kesar mangoes have hit the city almost a month in advance. Its ripe variety will be flooding the city fruit shops from next week. They will be available at least till the first week of July and at a comparatively cheaper price due to 30 per cent surge in production. At present, around 30,000 boxes, each weighing 10 kg, of green Kesar mangoes grown in Junagadh City are arriving at Naroda fruit market every day.

Ahmedabad City Fruit Wholesalers’ Association president Laxmandas Rohra said: “This year, Kesar mangoes have reached the city a month in advance. Now 30,000 boxes of green mangoes, each priced between Rs 250 and Rs 300, are reaching the city. A week on, 1 lakh boxes of ripe Kesar mangoes will arrive in Ahmedabad daily and its price will go down.”

Usually green Kesar mangoes surface in city markets in the last week of April. But this year, they are available aplenty from April first week. Scientists are attributing Kesar mangoes’ advance arrival to early and additional flowering.

Usually there are two flowerings of Kesar mangoes in a season. But this year four flowerings have been reported. Research scientist at Junagadh Agriculture University Dr RR Viradiya said: “The four flowerings were due to global climate change.

The first flowering took place 15 days in advance. So, Kesar mangoes were visible in the market early.” Viradiya added, “The season of Kesar mangoes used to last 45 days five years ago. This year, the season will double up to 90 days. The harvest will be also be 30 per cent more than last year due to multiple flowerings.” Former vice-chancellor of Junagadh Agriculture University KB Kikani said: “There has been a change in flowering pattern of Kesar mangoes this season. The last flowering was late. So, the season of Kesar mangoes will last longer.”

An officer in agriculture director’s office in Gandhinagar City said Junagadh produces maximum Kesar mangoes in the state. “Kesar Keri are grown on 17,000 hectares of land in Junagadh. Its average annual production is 90,000 metric tonnes. It may go up to 1 lakh metric tonnes this year,” he said.

Junagadh District Saurastra Monsoon News - Junagadh Agriculture University JAU

Delayed monsoon spells trouble for cotton, groundnut farmers.

Farmers who have sown cotton and groundnut may suffer heavy losses if it does not rain in the next 10 days.

Farmers in the state fear a major damage to their crops if it does not rain in the next 10 days. Majority of the farmers feel that over 30 per cent yields of groundnut and cotton will be destroyed in the absence of timely rain.

Praful Senjalia, Bharatiya Kishan Sangh president, said, “If there is no rain in the next 10 days, I will suffer a heavy loss. I will not only lose what I have spent on sowing, but the entire season will be delayed.”

Gujarat has a total cultivation area of nearly 60 lakh hectors each for cotton and groundnut farming.

According to Agriculture Department reports, sowing, mostly for cotton, in around 30 per cent area has already been done.

This process of sowing cotton before rains is called koru (dry). It is usually done some 10 days before the expected arrival of monsoon.

The late monsoon is not only likely to damage the sown cotton crops, but also delay the cultivation cycle of groundnut.

“Monsoon should have arrived by now. But still we can wait for 10 more days,” said N C Patel, Vice-Chancellor, Junagadh Agriculture University. He is of the view that if there is no rain by June 25, the farmers would need a contingency plan, like change in the crop pattern.

Agriculture scientist with the university, K L Dobaria, endorsed Patel’s view, saying, “If it does not rain in the coming days, the farmers will have to cultivate bunch groundnut instead of the running type.

The running crop needs good irrigation.”

The fact that little underground water is available and most of the reservoirs have hit rock bottom has worsened the situation. “There is hardly any water left in wells, and there has been no supply of irrigation water,” said Harshad Patel, a farmer from Ghanteshwar, a village on the outskirts of Rajkot city.

Junagadh News - National Informatics Center developed new software

New software to facilitate faster declaration of result.

The Junagadh District administration has developed a special vote counting software that will help in early and accurate declaration of the poll results.

Experts of the National Informatics Center (NIC), Junagadh unit, have developed this new software, said official sources.

According to Atul Khunti, Technical Director, NIC, all computers placed in the seven counting halls have been connected to the computers placed in the central computer room in the election office. As soon as counting data is fed into a computer, it will flash on a computer placed at the central computer office.

Central office computers are fully updated with the new software in which all the related data is pre-fed. This will provide complete details – votes counted, how many votes went to whose account, votes to be counted and the margin of lead among rival candidates.

“The central election office is linked to a computer placed at Junagadh Agriculture University auditorium, which will display all the figures on the screen instantly and will be accessible to everyone,” Khunti said.

According to Khunti, the system will prove helpful for everyone: media persons, political party supporters and the general public.

Besides, it will reduce crowding of the counting center, he said.

Aswini Kumar, District Collector and District Election Officer, said: “Wi-Fi System was earlier used successfully during the Girnar mountaineering competition. It will be pressed into service to display the counting progress at half a dozen places simultaneously. Mock drills in this regard have been carried out successfully in Junagadh Agriculture University.”

According to Kumar, this software would enable faster declaration of result in the Junagadh seat. Nearly 600 officials have been pressed into service for counting, he added.

Junagadh Agriculture University JAU Saurashtra Gujarat India

The overy of a rare coconut tree species here has raised hopes for double yield of the fruit for cultivators in Saurashtra.

Like all palms, coconut trees have a single trunk and are without any branches. But the new species has around two to four branches, making it the rarest of its kind.

Last seen in the Ivory Coast in 2006, this di-headed palm, as it is being called by the local experts, has been cultivated by a small-time farmer, Vinja Selar, in Krisi village of Porbandar district.

“Four of the coconut trees I planted seven years back have developed multiple branches. Two of them have two branches and the other two, four branches. The yield from the multiple branched trees is also double the regular ones,” said Selar.

Porbandar district Horticulture officer M D Dhorajia said:

“A regular coconut tree gives around 20-25 nuts per season. But the di-headed variety produces nearly 40 nuts per season. In India, varieties like Dwaraf, Lotan, Bona and Hybrid are commonly found. But all the varieties known so far have only one trunk and are without any branches.”

Selar has now begun procedures to get a patent for the tree and given the nod to scientists at the Junagadh Agriculture University to conduct a research on it.

“The Horticulture department got in touch with the university, which has shown a keen interest in conducting a research. Soon, a joint research by the department and the university would begin,” said Dhorajia.

“This is the first time we have come across such a variety in India,” he said, adding they would now conduct research into all aspects of the tree like the size of the nuts, colour, the taste of water and oil content.

He said if the tests give a positive result, the department and the university would take initiative to promote the new variety among the local cultivators.

Selar and the scientists are, however, both puzzled as to how a regular seedling developed into a rare variety. “I don't know how this happened. I have been trying to grow more trees of the same variety,” said Selar.

“It's very difficult to say how a rare variety evolved from a regular seedling. We hope to learn the transition during research,” said Dhorajia.

Selar further said his 20-bigha farm has over 100 coconut trees, but these four are special.

Coconut is grown along the 1,600 km long Saurashtra coastline and covers districts like Porbandar, Junagadh, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and Amreli.

In 2007-2008, coconut cultivation in Saurashtra covered over 560 hectares and the total production was around 42 lakh nuts.