Stephania3380 at 17:00, 20 December 2024

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{{Short description|Type of banana variety from Tamil Nadu, India}}
{{Infobox geographical indication
| name = Kanyakumari Matti Banana
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| alternative names = Matti Pazham
| description =Tamil Nadu banana is a banana variety cultivated in Tamil Nadu
| type =Banana
| area = Kanyakumari district
| country = [[India]]
| registered = 31 July 2023
| material =
| official website ={{URL|https://search.ipindia.gov.in/GirPublic/Application/Details/757|ipindia.gov.in}}}}

'''Kanyakumari Matti Banana''' is a variety of [[banana]] grown in the [[State of India|Indian state]] of [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Indian Journal of Agricultural Research |date=1997 |publisher=Agricultural Research Communication Centre |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Indian_Journal_of_Agricultural_Research/Q6NLAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=kanyakumari+matti+banana&dq=kanyakumari+matti+banana&printsec=frontcover |access-date=19 December 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{cite news |last1=Kolappan |first1=B. |title=Kanniyakumari’s Matti is distinct with fragrance and honey-like taste |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/kanniyakumaris-matti-is-distinct-with-fragrance-and-honey-like-taste/article67206980.ece |access-date=19 December 2024 |work=The Hindu |date=17 August 2023 |language=en-IN}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Nagarajan |first1=Saraswathy |title=Vinod Sahadevan Nair has 400-plus varieties of banana on his farm in Parassala, Thiruvananthapuram |url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/agriculture/vinod-sahadevan-nair-grows-400-plus-kinds-of-bananas-on-his-farm-in-parassala-thiruvananthapuram/article65684361.ece |access-date=19 December 2024 |work=The Hindu |date=26 July 2022 |language=en-IN}}</ref> It is a common and widely cultivated crop in the [[Agastheeswaram|Agatheeswaram]], [[Thovalai taluk|Thovalai]], [[Thiruvattar block|Thiruvattar]] talukas of [[Kanyakumari district]]. Kanyakumari Matti Banana ia a traditional table banana cultivar with medicinal value, characterized by its fragrant, sweet, and slightly acidic flavor, firm texture, and powdery nature and is a rare variety grown only in the hills of [[Southern Division (Travancore)|South Travancore]] (Undivided Tamil Nadu and [[Kerala]] before [[States Reorganisation Act, 1956|States Reorganisation Act of 1956]]) which is near [[Nagercoil]], Kanyakumari.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kandavel |first1=Sangeetha |title=Tamil Nadu’s Jaderi ‘namakatti’, chedibutta saree and Kanniyakumari Matti banana get GI tag |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/tamil-nadus-jaderi-namakatti-chedibutta-saree-and-kanniyakumari-matti-banana-get-gi-tag/article67143448.ece |access-date=19 December 2024 |work=The Hindu |date=31 July 2023 |language=en-IN}}</ref> It has three varieties: Semmatti (red-coloured), Then Matti (honey), and Malai Matti (Hill).<ref>{{cite news |title=Banana festival offers a glimpse of rare varieties to farmers |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/banana-festival-offers-a-glimpse-of-rare-varieties-to-farmers/articleshow/59718736.cms |access-date=19 December 2024 |work=The Times of India |date=23 July 2017}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{cite news |title=This Banana Breed From Kanyakumari District Gets Geographical Indication Tag |url=https://www.news18.com/india/this-banana-breed-from-kanyakumari-district-gets-geographical-indication-tag-8528304.html |access-date=19 December 2024 |work=News18 |language=en}}</ref> Under its [[Geographical Indications in India|Geographical Indication]] tag, it is referred to as "Kanyakumari Matti Banana".

==Name==
Kanyakumari Matti Banana (Matti Pazham) is a prized crop in Kanyakumari district and so named after it.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Menon |first1=Anasuya |title=Where do the banana leaves for our meals come from? |url=https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/banana-leaf-the-star-of-a-south-indian-meal/article32455917.ece |access-date=19 December 2024 |work=The Hindu |date=27 August 2020 |language=en-IN}}</ref>

==Description==
The Matti banana fruit has a 2.5–3 cm long apex resembling a crocodile's mouth, earning it the nickname "Crocodile Finger Banana".<ref name=":4"/> Unlike typical banana bunches that grow long, straight, and evenly, Matti Banana Fingers have a distinctive wind-blown appearance.<ref name=":7"/> The Matti banana has a low sugar content (8.7 TSS), making it suitable for infants, unlike other bananas that can cause cold issues due to high sugar.<ref>{{cite news |title=Where bananas are considered sacred |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20201118-where-bananas-are-considered-sacred |access-date=19 December 2024 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> The banana flower hangs almost parallel to the ground, at a 95° angle to the stem. Matti bananas have shown strong resistance to [[Black sigatoka|Sigatoka]] disease.<ref>{{cite web |title=Awareness Level of Geographical Indication on Kanyakumari Matti Banana |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/383132330_Awareness_Level_of_Geographical_Indication_on_Kanyakumari_Matti_Banana |website=ResearchGate GmbH |access-date=19 December 2024}}</ref>

==Geographical indication==
It was awarded the [[List of geographical indications in India|Geographical Indication]] (GI) status tag from the [[Geographical Indication Registry (India)|Geographical Indications Registry]], under the [[Government of India|Union Government of India]], on 31 July 2023 and is valid until 28 April 2030.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tamil Nadu banana |url=https://search.ipindia.gov.in/GIRPublic/Application/Details/757 |website=Intellectual Property India |access-date=19 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rajan |first1=C. Palanivel |title=GI-tagged agricultural products face challenges due to climate change |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/gi-tagged-agricultural-products-face-challenges-due-to-climate-change/article67594454.ece |access-date=19 December 2024 |work=The Hindu |date=1 December 2023 |language=en-IN}}</ref>

Kanyakumari Banana and Horticulture Farmers Producer Company Limited from Veeyanoor, proposed the GI registration of Kanyakumari Matti Banana. After filing the application in April 2021, the banana was granted the GI tag in 2023 by the Geographical Indication Registry in [[Chennai]], making the name "Kanyakumari Matti Banana" exclusive to the bananas grown in the region. It thus became the third banana variety from Tamil Nadu after [[Sirumalai Hill Banana]] and the 59th type of goods from Tamil Nadu to earn the GI tag.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tamil Nadu tops GI chart with 58 tags; three more products join the league |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/tamil-nadu-tops-gi-chart-with-58-tags-three-more-products-join-the-league/articleshow/102263775.cms |access-date=19 December 2024 |work=The Times of India |date=31 July 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Life-Enriching Banana Festival |url=https://www.icar.org.in/life-enriching-banana-festival |website=Indian Council of Agricultural Research Krishi Bhavan |access-date=19 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Fathima |first1=Iffath |date=29 May 2024 |title=IIHR showcases diverse jackfruit, banana, mango |url=https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/iihr-showcases-diverse-jackfruit-banana-mango/articleshow/110505362.cms |access-date=19 December 2024 |work=Bangalore Mirror |language=en}}</ref>

The GI tag protects the banana from illegal selling and marketing and gives it legal protection and a unique identity.

==See also==
* [[Jalgaon banana]]
* [[Myndoli Banana]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Bananas]]
[[Category:Banana cultivars]]
[[Category:Indian cuisine]]
[[Category:Tamil cuisine]]
[[Category:GI Tagged banana varieties of India]]
[[Category:Economy of Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Agriculture in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Kanyakumari district]]
[[Category:Geographical indications in Tamil Nadu]]

Kanyakumari Matti Banana - Revision history

Stephania3380 at 17:00, 20 December 2024