Bhubaneswar: After bagging GI tag for sweetmeat ‘Odishara Rasagola’, the state has now sought recognition for famous ‘Gajapati Date Palm Jaggery’.
An application in this regard has been submitted with the GI Registry by Dr. P. Karthigeyan, IPR Expert, from CTTC, MSME- IPFC, Ministry of MSME, Govt. of India who has been authorized by Odisha Rajya Talgur Samabaya Sangha Ltd (ORTSS), Govt of Odisha Enterprise.
“Date Palm Jaggery is a natural sweetener obtained from sweet juice (neera) of the Date Palm trees which is grown in natural climate. Gajapati Date Palm Jaggery is prepared in a trapezoidal form called ‘patali gur’. This jaggery is produced in traditional methods and it is purely organic in nature as no natural or synthetic colouring agents and artificial sweetening agents are added in this jaggery,” said Dr. P. Karthigeyan.
“The colour of Date Palm Jaggery is dark brown and it has a unique taste and flavour. Samples of Date Palm Jaggery were tested in Central Government laboratories to ascertain and establish the scientific and technical nature thereby yielding its uniqueness. It has numerous medicinal value and is used in the preparation of Ayurvedic medicines for curing asthma, gastric disorders, cough etc. This jaggery is also used by diabetic patients as it contains less sugar than sugar cane jaggery, crystal sugar and other sweetener agents. This Jaggery is rich in vitamins and natural minerals and also more nutritious than other sweeteners,” he said.
The GI tag allocation will take a year as it has to undergo many stages. The grant of GI will help the Odisha Government to protect the interest of tribals, enhance their livelihood and employment, he added.
