Hyderabad: Warangal’s famed Chapata Chilli has become the 18th product from Telangana and 665th in India to get the geographical indication (GI) registration. It is the third agricultural product from Telangana after Banaganapalli mango and Tandur Reg Gram to get GI-tagged.
Also called tomato chilli by locals thanks to its shape, Warangal Chapata Chilli is known for its flaming red colour but low pungency that puts its heat score at around 3,100-6,500 Scoville Heat Units (SHU).
While its fresh ripe, thick-walled large pods have traditionally been sought after for making pickles, it’s also in demand as a natural colouring agent — paprika oleoresin — due to its high oleoresin content of 6.37%-6.75% that gives it a bright red hue.
Cultivated on around 6,783 acres across Warangal, Hanumakonda, Mulugu, and Jayashankar Bhupalapally districts, only 10,000-11,000 tonnes of this chilli variety is produced each year.
It’s unique characteristics can be attributed to the red and black soil of the region, said Raj Kumar Reddy, President, Thimmampet Chilly Farmer Producer Company Limited, which filed the GI application in September 2022. The application was facilitated by Mahabubabad-based Janna Reddy Venkat Reddy Horticultural Research Station (JVR HRS) of Sri Konda Laxman Telangana Horticultural University (SKLTGHU).
So unique are the region’s soil, water, and climatic conditions that efforts to cultivate it elsewhere failed. “People from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat took our seeds but failed to get the same size, colour and taste,” he added.
Subhajit Saha, GI practitioner & founder of Resolute4IP, who helped with the legal and statutory compliances, termed the GI tag as an Ugadi gift that will add colour to the lives of farmers as it will help them command a higher premium. “Currently, this chilli is priced at around Rs 300 per kg, but with the GI tag, farmers will be able to reap higher prices of Rs 450-500 per kg,” said Saha. MSID:: 119912325 413 |
Also called tomato chilli by locals thanks to its shape, Warangal Chapata Chilli is known for its flaming red colour but low pungency that puts its heat score at around 3,100-6,500 Scoville Heat Units (SHU).
While its fresh ripe, thick-walled large pods have traditionally been sought after for making pickles, it’s also in demand as a natural colouring agent — paprika oleoresin — due to its high oleoresin content of 6.37%-6.75% that gives it a bright red hue.
Cultivated on around 6,783 acres across Warangal, Hanumakonda, Mulugu, and Jayashankar Bhupalapally districts, only 10,000-11,000 tonnes of this chilli variety is produced each year.
It’s unique characteristics can be attributed to the red and black soil of the region, said Raj Kumar Reddy, President, Thimmampet Chilly Farmer Producer Company Limited, which filed the GI application in September 2022. The application was facilitated by Mahabubabad-based Janna Reddy Venkat Reddy Horticultural Research Station (JVR HRS) of Sri Konda Laxman Telangana Horticultural University (SKLTGHU).
So unique are the region’s soil, water, and climatic conditions that efforts to cultivate it elsewhere failed. “People from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat took our seeds but failed to get the same size, colour and taste,” he added.
Subhajit Saha, GI practitioner & founder of Resolute4IP, who helped with the legal and statutory compliances, termed the GI tag as an Ugadi gift that will add colour to the lives of farmers as it will help them command a higher premium. “Currently, this chilli is priced at around Rs 300 per kg, but with the GI tag, farmers will be able to reap higher prices of Rs 450-500 per kg,” said Saha. MSID:: 119912325 413 |
