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The first shipment of Geographical Indication (GI) certified Bhalia variety of wheat was exported today to Kenya and Sri Lanka from Gujarat.
About Bhalia wheat
- Bhalia Wheat, also known as Daudkhani Wheat, is a type of long grain Wheat cultivated in the Bhal region of Gujarat.
- The Bhal region of Gujarat includes Ahmedabad, Anand, Kheda, Bhavanagar, Surendranagar, Bharuch districts.
- Bhal region is situated between Ahmedabad and Bhavnagar districts.
- The GI certified wheat has high protein content and is sweet in taste.
- Bhalia Wheat is rich in Gluten, a type of amino acid.
- It has a high amount of carotene and has low absorption of water.
- The unique characteristic of the wheat variety is that it is grown in the rainfed condition without irrigation and cultivated in around two lakh hectares of agricultural land in Gujarat.
- They are widely used for preparing semolina which is used for making pasta, macaroni, pizza, spaghetti, vermicelli, noodles etc.
- Gujarat Wheat-1, a variety of Bhalia Wheat, is popular in Gujarat
- It received GI certification in July, 2011.
- The registered proprietor of GI certification is Anand Agricultural University, Gujarat
More about wheat
- It is a Rabi Crop sown in October-December and harvested during April-June.
- It is grown in a temperature of 10-15°C (Sowing time) and 21-26°C (Ripening & Harvesting) with bright sunlight.
- It requires a rainfall of 75 to 100cm.
- China is the largest producer of wheat followed by India.
- Areas of cultivation: Major wheat growing states in India are Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Gujarat.
India Facts and Figures
- World trade in wheat is greater than for all other crops combined.
- Demand for India’s wheat in the world shows a rising trend.
- The country has exported 2,17,354.22 MT of wheat to the world for the worth of Rs. 439.16 crores/61.84 USD Millions during the year of 2019-20.
Source: PIB
