Khola Chilli Receives Goa’s First Farmer Plant Variety Registration from PPV&FRA

Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority (PPV&FRA), Govt. of India has officially declared Goa’s popular Khola Chilli as a Farmer Plant Variety.  This is the first Farmer Plant Variety from Goa registered with the Plant Varieties Registry of PPV&FRA. Khola/Canacona Chilli Cultivators Group from Khola village, South Goa, has been officially recognized as the true breeder of this unique variety. The group now holds exclusive rights to produce, sell, market, distribute, import, and export the variety for an initial period of six years and renewable upto 2039.

ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute played a pivotal role in the collection, characterization, and reporting of this variety to the PPV&FRA, ultimately leading to its successful registration. Khola, also known as Canacona Chilli, is a distinctive variety traditionally cultivated by the tribal communities of Khola (Cola) village in a traditional farming system, set in the hilly terrains and rocky plains of southern Goa. This chili is renowned for its vibrant red color and moderate pungency. Previously, this variety had also been granted a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, further acknowledging its uniqueness as an agricultural product from Goa.