Dragon fruit will now be known as the ‘kamalam’ fruit in Gujarat after the state government decided to rename it. State CM Vijay Rupani announced that the fruit, which looks like a lotus, will be named after the Sanskrit word for the flower.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said that he had proposed to change the name of the dragon fruit to kamalam, which has been approved. A proposal was also made by the Gujarat Forest Department to the Indian Council of Agriculture Research to rename the fruit as kamalam.
The red and pink fruits which are popular over the world are common in Gujarat markets. They are even produced on 1,000 acres of land in Kutch, with the efforts of 150 farmers. Apart from Gujarat, the fruit is also produced in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Orissa, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
The dragon fruit, whose scientific name is Hylocereus cactus, are considered more beneficial than oranges, mangoes, papayas and bananas.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also mentioned the fruit on Mann Ki Baat on 26 July 2020.