The 'Gir Kesar' mango, also called Kesar, is a

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...

cultivar grown in the foothills of

Girnar Girnar is an ancient hill in Junagadh, Gujarat, India. Geology Mount Girnar is a major igneous plutonic complex which intruded into the basalts towards the close of the Deccan Trap period. The rock types identified in this complex are gab ...

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

, western

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The mango is known for its bright orange colored pulp and was given the

geographical indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town, region, or country). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, ...

status in 2011. The biggest market of Gir Kesar is in Talala Gir (45 km from Gir national park) known as a Mango Market Yard (Plus code : 3GFV+9P Borvav, Gujarat).

History

The mango was grown in 1931 by Junagadh Wazir Sale Bhai in

Vanthali Vamansthli (Vanthli)is a city and a municipality in Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Demographics India census, Vanthali had a population of 21,891. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Vanthali has an avera ...

. About 75 grafts were then planted in the foothills of Girnar at the Junagadh Laal Dori farm. The mango is said to have been known as "Kesar" since 1934 when the

Nawab of Junagadh Nawab of Junagarh or Junagadh refers to the now defunct ex-lineage of rulers of the princely Junagarh State in British Raj, nowadays Junagadh district in the state of Gujarat in India. There are still several forts and palaces in India which wer ...

Muhammad Mahabat Khan III Sir Muhammad Mahabat Khanji III Rasul Khanji, (Gujarati language, Gujarati: મુહમ્મદ ખાન ત્રીજાની, Urdu: 2 August 1898 – 17 November 1959), was the last ruling Nawab of Junagadh of the princely state of Jun ...

said "This is Kesar" looking at the orange pulp of the fruit—''kesar'' being Gujrati/

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

for

saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of ''Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent i ...

Production

The Kesar mango is grown in an approximate area of 20,000 hectare in the districts of

Junagadh Junagadh () is the headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Located at the foot of the Girnar hills, southwest of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar (the state capital), it is the seventh largest city in the state. Literally t ...

and

Amreli Amreli is a city and a municipality in Amreli district in Indian state of Gujarat. History It is believed that during 534 AD Amreli existed was formerly known as Anumanji, Amlik and then Amravati. The city is named in ancient Gujrati as ''A ...

in the

Saurashtra region Saurashtra, also known as Sorath or Kathiawar, is a peninsular region of Gujarat, India, located on the Arabian Sea coast. It covers about a third of Gujarat state, notably 11 districts of Gujarat, including Rajkot District. It was formerly a ...

, with an estimated annual production of two

lakh A lakh (; abbreviated L; sometimes written lac) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105). In the Indian 2,2,3 convention of digit grouping, it is written as 1,00,000. For ex ...

tonnes. However, only the mango grown around the Gir sanctuary area is officially known as "Gir Kesar mango". This variety of mango is usually produced to the market in April-May and should be harvested at green mature stage, with the cultivation beginning around October after the monsoon season. Kesar variety is among the most expensive varieties of the fruit.

Geographical indication

Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation (GAIC) Ltd proposed the geographical indication (GI) registration of Gir Kesar mango. After the

Junagadh Agricultural University Junagadh Agricultural University (JAU) is an agricultural university at Junagadh in the Indian state of Gujarat. Junagadh Agricultural University offers education in agriculture and allied sciences, i.e., agriculture, agricultural engineering ...

filed the application in 2010, the fruit was granted the GI tag in 2011 by the Geographical Indication Registry in

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

, making the name "Gir Kesar" exclusive to the mangoes grown in the region. It thus became the first agricultural product from Gujarat and the second mango variety in India (after

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

Dasheri The Dasheri mango is a mango cultivar which originated in a village near Kakori in Lucknow district in 18th century. It is a sweet and fragrant variety of mango grown in North India, the southern state Andhra Pradesh, Nepal and Pakistan. Ma ...

mango) to earn the GI tag.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gir Kesar (Mango) Mango cultivars Economy of Gujarat Agriculture in Gujarat Geographical indications in Gujarat

History

Production

Geographical indication

See also

References