The Great Indian Spice Battle: Why Gujarat And Rajasthan Are Fighting Over Jeera And Saunf

Published 27 July 2026 · india

The Great Indian Spice Battle: Why Gujarat And Rajasthan Are Fighting Over Jeera And Saunf Published By, Last Updated: July 27, 2026, 09:18 IST Rajasthan

The Great Indian Spice Battle: Why Gujarat And Rajasthan Are Fighting Over Jeera And Saunf Published By, Last Updated: July 27, 2026, 09:18 IST Rajasthan farmers contend that cumin and fennel have been cultivated in the state for generations and recognising only Unjha under a GI could create confusion Rapid Read Rajasthan's western districts, particularly Jalore, Barmer, Jodhpur, Nagaur and Pali, are among the country's largest cumin-growing regions. (AI generated image) A dispute over two of India’s most widely cultivated spices – jeera (cumin) and saunf (fennel) – has sparked a debate between farmers in Gujarat and Rajasthan after the Geographical Indication (GI) Registry granted GI tags to Unjha jeera and Unjha saunf, both associated with Gujarat’s Mehsana district. While the GI registration is intended to recognise products linked to a specific geographical origin, farmer groups in Rajasthan have objected to the move, arguing that cumin and fennel are cultivated extensively in their state as well and that granting exclusive geographical recognition to Unjha could affect the interests of producers outside Gujarat. The controversy centres on Unjha, a town in Gujarat’s Mehsana district that is widely regarded as one of Asia’s largest spice trading hubs.

For decades, Unjha has served as a benchmark market for cumin and fennel, with traders from across India bringing produce to its Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC). The town’s name has become closely associated with the trade and export of these spices, prompting applications for GI protection. A Geographical Indication (GI) is an intellectual property right granted to products that possess qualities, characteristics or a reputation essentially attributable to their geographical origin. In India, GI registrations are governed by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. A GI tag does not prohibit cultivation of the product elsewhere. Instead, it protects the use of the registered geographical name for products that originate from the designated region and meet the prescribed standards. The dispute arises because Gujarat and Rajasthan together account for almost all of India’s cumin production. Rajasthan’s western districts, particularly Jalore, Barmer, Jodhpur, Nagaur and Pali, are among the country’s largest cumin-growing regions. Gujarat, meanwhile, has major cultivation in districts such as Banaskantha, Patan, Mehsana, Kutch and Surendranagar, with Unjha functioning as the principal trading centre.