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, India. It received registration as Geographic Indication in 2011.[1]
Location
Bhal region is situated between Ahmedabad and Bhavnagar districts[2] where this wheat are cultivated starting much before independence of India.[3] They are widely cultivated in Dhandhuka, Dholka and Bavla talukas of Ahmedabad district; Limbdi of Surendranagar district; Vallabhipur of Bhavnagar district; Tarapur and Khambhat of Anand district; Matar of Kheda district; Jambusar and Vagra of Bharuch district.[4]
Bhalia Wheat were registered as Geographic Indication in 2011 with help of state-run Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation and Anand Agricultural University. They are widely used for preparing semolina which is used for making pasta, macaroni, pizza, spaghetti, vermicelli, noodles etc. Gujarat Wheat-1, a variety of Bhalia Wheat, is popular in Gujarat.[4]
Production
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. Every year 1.7 to 1.8 Lakh (Template:Convert) of wheat is produced across 2 lakh hectares (Template:Convert). Bhalia wheat does not require irrigation or rain as they are cultivated on conserved soil moisture.[4]
Nutrition
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.[4][5]
References
- ↑ કેસર કેરી પછી હવે ભાલીયા ઘઉંને 'જીઆઇ' ટેગ અપાયો. દિવ્ય ભાસ્કર(16 August 2011).
- ↑ GI tag for Gir Kesar mango, Bhalia wheat. The Times of India(28 July 2011).
- ↑ A Dictionary of the Economic Products of India{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Cambridge University Press(23 January 2014). ISBN 978-1-108-06881-9
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Bhalia wheat gets GI tag. Business Line - The Hindu(15 August 2011).
- ↑ Geographical Indication tag for Bhalia wheat. The Indian Express(17 August 2011).