Bhalia wheat

Why in news?

• The first shipment of Geographical Indication (GI) certified Bhalia variety of wheat was exported on Wednesday to Kenya and Sri Lanka from Gujarat.

About Bhalia wheat:

• Bhalia Wheat, also known as Daudkhani Wheat is a type of long grain wheat cultivated in Bhal region in the north of Gulf of Khambhat, Gujarat.
• It received registration as Geographic Indication in 2011.
•  Bhal region is situated between Ahmedabad and Bhavnagar districts where this wheat are cultivated starting much before independence of India.
• They are widely used for preparing semolina which is used for making pasta, macaroni, pizza, spaghetti, vermicelli, noodles etc.
• The sowing starts in late October to the first week of November after rain water gets drained to the gulf. The produce is reaped in March — April.
• Bhalia wheat does not require irrigation or rain as they are cultivated on conserved soil moisture.
• Bhalia Wheat are rich in Gluten, a type of amino acid. It is also rich in protein. It has high amount of carotene and has low absorption of water.

Prelims Question

Bhalia Wheat is a GI tagged variety of wheat from the state of:
(a)Gujarat
(b)Haryana
(c)Uttar Pradesh
(d)Bihar

Answer to the Prelims Question