Mandu’s Khurasani Imli Gets GI Tag:
Mandu’s(M.P) iconic Baobab fruit, locally known as Khurasani Imli, has received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, giving it official recognition and protection.It is a light green fruit with a tangy sweet-sour taste, known for its unique nutritional, medicinal, and cultural value in the Mandu region.The Baobab tree, scientifically called Adansonia digitata, is famous for its huge water-storing trunk and inverted-tree-like branches, making it a major landmark of Mandu.The tree is believed to have been introduced to Mandu nearly six centuries ago by Afghan and Arab traders and later adapted to the local climate and terrain.Mandu has India’s largest naturally occurring population of Baobab trees, with officials estimating more than 1,000 trees in the region.Tribal communities have long used the fruit pulp, juice, seeds, and dried bark for health purposes, including treating diabetes, digestive problems, fever, and fatigue.The tag is expected to benefit tribal families through better income, organised marketing, cooperatives, value-added products, new plantations, and conservation, though dedicated government conservation programmes and scientific research are still lacking.The GI tag is expected to improve branding, marketing and value-added industries around Baobab-based products, directly benefiting tribal families involved in collection and processing.
