Kadaknath chicken
Six years after it applied for the Geographical Indications (GI) tag for Kadaknath, a chicken breed whose black meat is in demand in some quarters, Madhya Pradesh has got the coveted label. The protein-rich meat of Kadaknath, chicks and eggs are sold at a much higher rate than other varieties of chicken. Chennai-based GI Registry accepted the application of Gramik Vikas Trust, Jhabua, which was filed in 2012.
The breed is native to Jhabua, Alirajpur and parts of Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh. Managing director of Madhya Pradesh Livestock and Poultry Development Corporation Dr H B S Bhadoria said successive journals brought out by Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) have always recorded that the breed was native to MP.
“Getting GI tag was never in doubt but it took a lot of effort,’’ said Animal Husbandry Department’s additional deputy director Dr Bhagwan Manghnani.
On Chhattisgarh’s recent effort to stake a claim to the variety, he said, “Chhattisgarh has applied only recently. I am not sure if its application was even processed.’’
“I am not sure at what stage our application was. our lawyer would be able to throw light on it,’’ said Srinivas Gogineni, chairman of a private firm, which works with the administration of Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh to help tribals generate livelihood.