A fresh fault line has opened between Maharashtra and Gujarat – this time over the country’s most celebrated fruit. Konkan’s Alphonso growers are up in arms after what they describe as Gujarat’s latest attempt to “muscle in” on Maharashtra’s cultural and agricultural heritage.

The outrage erupted after NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar revealed that Navsari Agricultural University and Gandhinagar University have sought a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the Valsad Hapus – a move Konkan farmers and politicians say is nothing short of an effort to piggyback on the global fame of the original Konkan Alphonso.

Pawar called the development “a direct threat to the identity and recognition of Konkan Hapus,” urging the Centre to step in immediately. He noted that Alphonso mangoes from Konkan earned the GI tag in 2018 after years of stringent verification and documentation.

According to Pawar, the Gujarat universities’ application claims that Navsari and Valsad should be considered part of the Konkan belt due to geographical alignment with the Sahyadri coast — a demand Maharashtra farmers have dismissed as “audacious” and “opportunistic.”

‘Take your own GI – but don’t touch our name’

Konkan’s leading mango cooperatives – custodians of the original GI tag – say Gujarat’s move is not about recognition of its mangoes but about riding on the hard-earned reputation of Hapus.

Ajeet Gogate of the Devgad Mango Growers Cooperative said growers are not opposing Valsad’s claim to a GI tag, only its use of the word Hapus.

“Call it Valsad mango, call it something else – but why steal the identity we built?” Gogate said. “This is about equity, history, and the livelihoods of thousands of Konkan farmers.”

Dr Vivek Bhide of the Ratnagiri growers’ cooperative said this is not the first time regions outside Konkan have tried to “cash in” on the Alphonso brand. “Everyone wants the name because the market value is enormous. But GI status is earned, not borrowed.”

Only 2,200 registered growers from Konkan are legally allowed to sell mangoes under the Hapus GI.

Political firestorm: ‘First Hapus, tomorrow Mumbai?’

The controversy has taken a political edge in Maharashtra:

• Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Ambadas Danve said Gujarat’s claim was an attempt to appropriate a fruit that is “the pride of Maharashtra.”
• Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar went further, calling it “the beginning of claiming Mumbai as well,” and accused Gujarat of projecting itself as the centre of every national achievement.
• Shiv Sena minister Uday Samant downplayed the concerns but insisted Gujarat’s mangoes “could never match” Devgad or Ratnagiri Alphonso.

As the GI dispute inches towards a possible confrontation before the registry, Konkan’s growers warn that the battle is not merely about mangoes – but about safeguarding a legacy they say Gujarat has no right to rewrite.

This article was first published on Vibes of India. Read the original article here.

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