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The National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) is processing a request for the granting of a Geographical Indication (GI) for Purple Garlic from the Santa Catarina Plateau, in the Denomination of Origin (DO) category. A GI indicates that the product has unique characteristics, resulting from the climate conditions, relief and local know-how. The GI is being requested by the Cooperativa Regional Agropecuária do Meio Oeste Catarinense (COPAR), which has the support of Epagri, Sebrae and UFSC in the process.
The request submitted to INPI delimits the GI of Purple Garlic from the Catarinense Plateau in the area covered by the municipalities of Caçador, Lebon Régis, Frei Rogério, Fraiburgo, Monte Carlo, Brunópolis and Curitibanos. There are 482 producers who cultivate 1.314 hectares of the vegetable. The region is the third largest producer of garlic in Brazil, with approximately 12.000 tons harvested per year, which supply the national and international markets.
Hamilton Justino Vieira, a researcher at Epagri who is working on the GI process, explains that the region produces a type of garlic that is unique in the country. It has a white coat, a completely purple film on the cloves and fewer than 22 well-formed cloves. “Its unique intrinsic qualities classify it as noble garlic,” he points out.
These characteristics are a result of the environment in which it is produced. Recent research conducted by the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) shows that the qualities of purple garlic from the Santa Catarina Plateau are essentially linked to the geographical environment, which, in addition to color, influences the content of volatile compounds and anthocyanins.
In addition to the soil and climate conditions of the growing region, the management carried out by farming families in the Santa Catarina Plateau also influences the final product. “The post-harvest curing process, for more than three months in the shade, in bundles distributed in yards in the farms’ warehouses, is a unique practice in this territory that defines a unique rural landscape,” says the Epagri researcher.
The production and selection of noble garlic in Santa Catarina began in the late 1970s, with farmer Takashi Chonan, followed by farmer Masanori Ito, both of Japanese origin. Since then, production has been concentrated essentially on family farming, which entails dedicated management and a sense of observation regarding cultivation. The result of this was the selection that gave rise to the seven varieties cultivated today in the region: Ito, Quitéria, Caçador, Contestado, Jonas, Ito HF and Chonan. All derive from the Chonan variety, the first registered purple garlic cultivar.
Epagri, Sebare and UFSC estimate that by the end of 2025 INPI will have evaluated the process and defined the concession of the GI for Purple Garlic from the Santa Catarina Plateau. At Epagri, the work involves extension workers from the municipalities covered by the GI and researchers from different units of the Company. These professionals acted as facilitators of the process and carried out the environmental characterization of the GI area, among other functions. Hamilton also reports that Epagri is producing a book that tells the history of purple garlic in Santa Catarina. The work is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
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