The pulse of Gulbarga — Only dal in India with a Geographical Indication tag

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by Samuel Pordengerg Nov 27, 2022 News
The pulse of Gulbarga — Only dal in India with a Geographical Indication tag

In North Karnataka, red gram is the gold of it's kind. Every inch of Gulbarga's cultivable land grows this gram known as Tur Dal.

The average toor dal in the market is not the only one. The pulse of Gulbarga is the only geographical indication of this historic region.

Harvest

The start of winter is when the farm labourers race against time to finish their work.

If you want to harvest red gram, you have to beat each stack for a short time. Shafaht Shahbandari is the image credit.

Farm labourers rush from one farmland to another in order to cash in on the bounty of the season.

If you want to harvest red gram, you have to beat each stack for a short time. The detachedpods go through the machine to separate the grams and chaff. The yellow daal is found from the red gram after it is processed in the mills.

Staple

Every household and region of India has a favorite lentil.

Dal is the most beloved and essential food in India and can be served fried or eaten with a plate of rice.

It is important for the poor and the vegetarians in India.

India's toor dal is produced by the district of Gulbarga. Shafaht Shahbandari is the image credit.

Every year, Toor Dal is a staple for the farmers in the area.

The red gram provides both food and income to every family in this region.

The crop doesn't stop here. Red gram plants are the primary source of fuel for the villagers and they also use its sturdy stems to build their huts.

Nutritious

The GI tag was awarded to Gulbarga Toor Dal because of it's unique nutrition and other factors.

A GI tag is given to a product that is unique to a particular region.

The red gram is grown in the black soil of the district.

There is a major distributor of grams and pulse in the area. Shafaht Shahbandari is the image credit.

There is no other tur crop in the world with the same amount of calcium andProtein. The soil of four taluks of the district has high levels of calcium and potassium, which is good for health. These are the places where the GI tag is limited. It's because of the soil that it's geographically identified, according to a major distributor.

According to official test reports, the calcium and potassium content in the soil of Gulbarga is several times higher than other parts of India.

The Gulbarga toor dal has a superior taste and smell.

Langar said that the Gulbarga Tur Daal has a distinct taste and smell.

Toor Capital

Tur daal is considered the king of lentils in India. The district of Gulbarga is the largest producer of toor dal in India.

Tur Daal has been the main crop for a long time. There are hundreds of dal mills in the Gulbarga district. Many dal mills can be found in most of the North Karnataka districts. During the season, there are only two varieties of toor daal, moong and urid. Langar said that tur daal is the main crop in the district and it is also the main crop in the whole of South India.

Ready to leave and loaded. The farmers have a load of wheat. Shafaht Shahbandari is the image credit.

Red gram is the main crop in the district and it is only restricted to four administrative blocks.

Some of the Gulbarga Toor is better than others.

The red gram is known for its purity and taste. The number one category is called Phataka, which is worth Rs9,500 per quintal, the second category is medium quality, and the third category is the polished version of the medium quality.

Ground realities

One would think that the unique status of the Gulbarga Toor Dal would translate into higher prices and better marketing opportunities. It seems that the realities on the ground are not so promising.

There is very little irrigation in Gulbarga. There are very few places where you can find water. 50 percent of the pulse crop was damaged by the flood last year. We hope for a better yield. Langar said that farmers are facing unfair pricing and the GI Tag hasn't materialised yet.

The primary source of fuel for the villagers is the farmer's dried red gram plants outside her hut. Shafaht Shahbandari is the image credit.

Farmers are content with what they have, for now.

There is a renewed buzz at the wholesale market.

At the peak of the season, 25,000 bags of toor dal arrive every day.

They wait for the entire year to get the returns of their work.

It's the only time of the year when they sell and eat dal.

Shahbandari is the founder of Thousand Shades of India.