Bhubaneswar, Sept 1: The Kanteimundi brinjal of Nayagarh has earned a Geographical Indication (GI) tag. The Odisha University of Agriculture & Technology (OUAT) applied for the GI tag in February 2021.
Kanteimundi brinjal is a vegetable crop with lots of prickly thorns on fruit as well as the whole plant. The fruit are green in colour, round in shape containing more number of seeds as compared to other genotypes.
The brinjal is cultivated in the sandy soil and having unique taste and flavor is attributed to the skill of the local growers who have been cultivating this crop for more than 100 years. The crop is confined to Nayagarh district.
It is famous for its unique taste and quick cooking quality than other varieties of the species. The vegetable is resistant to major insects, pests and diseases and is observed with either minimal or nil incidence of pest and disease which is one unique characteristic of the crop and for which it has a wide acceptability in the district.
The vegetable has originated from Badabanapur and Ratanpur area of Khandapada block and Dhanchangda, Laxmiprasad, Kumundi and Fategarh area of Bhapur block and now farmers of the whole Nayagarh district are growing such variety due its good market price and consumer acceptance.
