Context: Gujarat Chief Minister has said that the state proposes to rename dragon fruit as ‘Kamalam’. Dragon fruit “does not sound appropriate”, Rupani said; Kamalam was apt because the characteristic fuchsia ‘spikes’ or ‘petals’ of the fruit recall a lotus in bloom.

What is dragon fruit?

• Dragon fruit is the fruit of a species of wild cactus indigenous to South and Central America, where it is called pitaya or pitahaya.
• The fruit’s flesh is usually white or red — although there is a less common yellow pitaya too — and is studded with tiny seeds rather like the kiwifruit.
• The world’s largest producer and exporter of dragon fruit is Vietnam, where the plant was brought by the French in the 19th century.
• Dragon fruit is also cultivated in — apart from its native Latin America — Thailand, Taiwan, China, Australia, Israel, and Sri Lanka.
• It was brought to India in the 1990s, and is grown in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• It grows in all kinds of soil, and does not require much water.
• It is used to makes a variety of sweet and savoury dishes from salads and relishes to cakes and tacos.

Where the proposal stands

• ICAR sources said the Gujarat government’s proposal had been forwarded to the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
• ICAR does not do everything in this respect. ICAR is the recommending body.
• Whatever nomenclature, release of varieties, production, it is all done by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, the other wing, and not the research wing.
• Proposal would need approval from the Botanical Survey of India and the National Biodiversity Authority under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• Dragon fruit is not a species native to India and any change in its nomenclature in official annals can lead to international litigation. Hence, the opinion of BSI and NBA matters.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/dragon-fruit-kamalam-gujarat-7154571/

Download PDF