Agri dept to try growing Khola chillies on flat land

Panaji: Khola chillies are about to get a much-needed shot in the arm. The directorate of agriculture is set to conduct trials to cultivate this superfood, that grows well only in hilly areas, on non-traditional flat terrains.
Known for its brilliant red colour and medium-pungent taste, this chilli variant is mainly grown by farmer groups in South Goa’s Khola village.Only few individual families in Quepem and other parts of Canacona cultivate the crop on hilly terrains.
The locally-grown red spice acquired Geographical Indication (GI) status in January this year, thus making it unique to Goa. The Khola Chili Cultivators Group responsible for growing these chillies were awarded the Plant Genome Saviour Community Award.
“Now that the Khola chillies have a GI tag, there is a good market for them. We are going to conduct trials in non-traditional areas like flat lands,” director of agriculture Nevil Alphonso said.
The department also intends to further promote the chilli variety through value addition. Apart from selling them in the powdered form, they plan to package and sell the Khola chillies whole.
“This is a unique type of chilli which has a high pungency level. and having a GI tag makes it is advantageous for global marketing,” Alphonso said.
Anuradha Naik, a former research associate at the ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Old Goa, who has worked as a Khola chilli promoter, however, said that growing the chilli on non-hilly terrain may alter its inherent characteristics.
“The chilli has been given a GI tag taking geographic factors of its growth into account. It’s grown only in the monsoon season by Canacona farmers. Yes, it can be produced in other areas as well, but the typical flavour and taste of the variant is due to factors such as where they are grown, geographical location, their cultivation on hilly terrain and the edaphic factors of the Khola village,” she said.