MP wins GI tag battle over Kadaknath chicken
BHOPAL\RAIPUR: Madhya Pradesh has won the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Kadaknath, a black-feathered chicken known for its flavourful meat and found mainly in the tribal district of Jhabua, trumping Chhattisgarh’s claim over the breed.
The GI certification for the chicken was notified in GI Journal No 104 dated March 28, an official of the Madhya Pradesh animal husbandry department said.
“Thanks to the persistent efforts of the department officials, we have managed to win the GI tag,” said MP animal husbandry minister Antar Singh Arya.
The coveted tag, awarded by the GI registry in Chennai, indicates that a product possesses certain qualities exclusive to its land of origin. Kashmiri pashmina, Darjeeling tea, Kancheepuram silk and Tirupati laddoo have all been granted GIS.
The GI tag will ensure that no one else can use the name Kadaknath while selling any other black chicken and will also translate into higher prices for producers, officials in the animal husbandry department said.
MP filed an application with the GI registry office in 2012 and Chhattisgarh filed its claim in 2017. The news that Chhattisgarh too had applied for the same GI tag had alarmed the Madhya Pradesh government, which redoubled its efforts to ensure its variety won .
“We had given all the necessary proofs, so I was confident of the result,” he added.
Kadaknath is in demand not only because of its taste but also due to its low cholesterol and high protein content. It sells at about ₹500 per kg, around five times the price of normal broiler chicken.
“We will study the decision (of the GI registry) and will try to find out ways to protect the interest of poor tribal farmers of Bastar, who have been breeding this chicken,” Dantewada collector Saurabh Kumar said.