Central Idea

• The Kari Ishad mango, prominently grown in Ankola taluk of Uttara Kannada, has been awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Geographical Indications Registry.
• The GI certificate has been issued to Matha Totagars Farmer Producer Company Limited, Ankola, and is valid until March 1, 2032 from March 31, 2023.

Kari Ishad Mango

• The Kari Ishad mango is renowned for its unique aroma, luscious taste, high amount of pulp, and distinctive shape and size.
• They are large and have an oblique to oval shape.
• Typically, each panicle bears only one fruit, and a well-grown tree can produce up to 2,000 fruits in a season.
• However, the fruit has a short shelf life of about five days.

Cultivation and Production

• Apart from Ankola, the Kari Ishad mango is grown in Karwar and to a certain extent in Kumta of Uttara Kannada.
• The prominent cultivation areas include Belse, Shetgeri, Belambara, Mogata, and Vandige villages of Ankola.
• Vandige village stands out as the highest producer, yielding around 600 tonnes of fruits per season. Belse village boasts 1,500 plants.

Variants of the Mango

• The Ishad mango has two variants:

1. Kari Ishad, characterized by its thin skin, abundance of pulp, and sweetness,
2. Bili Ishad, which has thick skin, less pulp, and sweetness.

Back2Basics: Geographical Indication (GI)

• A GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
• Nodal Agency: Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry
• India, as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), enacted the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 w.e.f. September 2003.
• GIs have been defined under Article 22 (1) of the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.
• The tag stands valid for 10 years.

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