From Sangli to Dubai: Exotic dragon fruit 'Kamalam' from Maharashtra exported to UAE

A consignment of Dragon Fruit, which is also referred to as "Kamalam", has been exported to Dubai which was sourced from the farmers of Tadasar village in the Sangli district of Maharashtra, informed the Commerce Ministry on Saturday. 

Dragon fruits are grown mostly in states like Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The cultivation requires less water and can be grown in various kinds of soils. There are three main varieties of dragon fruit: white flesh with pink skin, red flesh with pink skin, and white flesh with yellow skin. The fruit contains fibre, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It added that fruit production commenced in India in the early 1990s.

In July 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme on All India Radio had mentioned the dragon fruit farming in the arid Kutch region of Gujarat and had congratulated the farmers of Kutch for the cultivation of fruit for ensuring India’s self-sufficiency in the production.

Gujarat renames Dragon Fruit as ''Kamalam''

In January, the Gujarat government renamed dragon fruit as ''Kamalam'', Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had informed. The state government has applied for a patent to change the nomenclature of dragon fruit, which is largely grown in Kutch, Navsari and different parts of Saurashtra, to ''Kamalam'', Rupani told reporters on Tuesday.

"The name dragon fruit is not proper, and due to its name, one thinks of China. So we have given it the name ''Kamalam''," he said. Asked why the name ''Kamalam'' has been given to the fruit, Rupani said, "Farmers say it looks like lotus and that is the reason we have named it ''Kamalam''." Notably, ''Kamal'', or lotus, is the poll symbol of the BJP and Gujarat party unit headquarters is named Shri Kamalam. There is nothing political behind the renaming of the fruit, Rupani said. The fruit is found in arid areas of the state and it is known for its nutritional value like it also helps in increasing the haemoglobin, Rupani said in reply to a question on the need to rename it.