Farmers in Hajipur, Bihar who grow the famous "chiniya" banana variety are pleased with the initial approval of a geographical indication (GI) tag for the fruit. They believe that once the "chiniya" banana receives the GI tag, it will have a global market and a higher yield.
The GI Registry in Chennai has accepted the initial proposal for GI tag to Hajipur's "chiniya" banana, Nalanda's "Bawan Buti" sari, and Gaya's "Pattharkatti" stone craft, as per officials at the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in Patna.
The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, protects products with a GI tag by enabling those who have the right to use the indication to prevent it from being used by a third party.
Ramanand, a banana farmer in Hajipur's Mithiyaon village, said the chiniya variety is grown all year, but the ones that ripen in June and July are the finest. "At Hajipur, bananas are farmed over huge swaths of land. For farmers like me, it is our primary source of income. Hajipur's chiniya banana is exported to a number of other states. "We are pleased with the decision to give the fruit a GI tag," he stated.
Another banana grower in Hajipur, Ram Chandra, believes the GI tag will give the chiniya banana a much-needed boost. "Due to a lack of sufficient support and financial pressure, many farmers have turned to other crops or other sources of income." The days of Hajipur supplying truckloads of bananas to other states are long gone. "I am hopeful that if the chiniya kind of banana receives the GI tag, it will once again be in high demand," he said.
Blocks like Jandaha and Desari, according to Bipin Poddar, additional director of horticulture at Purnia and a banana research scholar, are chiniya banana hubs in Vaishali district. "Hajipur chiniya bananas are highly valuable commercially. However, banana plants are frequently infected with fusarium wilt (also known as Panama disease). The government is taking steps to preserve chiniya bananas from this disease," he added.
Anil Kumar, a banana expert, believes that adding a GI tag to the chiniya variety of the fruit will be extremely advantageous in terms of pricing and other benefits.
