Coorg Orange:- The pride of Kodagu
What is Coorg orange?
Coorg Orange is a type of orange mainly cultivated in the hilly terrain of Kodagu district of Karnataka, known for its sweet & juicy flavor and contains high amount of Vitamin C. It is a medium size orange with fairly tight skin having light green-yellow color. It is known by several names such as:– Kodagina Kittale, Kodagu orange & Coorg mandarin and its scientific name is “Citrus reticulata”.
The word Coorg is basically a landlocked district in the state of karnataka officially known as Kodagu with an area of 4102 sqkm. Most of the Coorg district is hilly and covered with forest & plantation of coffee.
- It is important to mention here that the Citrus reticulata (Mandrin/Orange scientific name) originated from tropical & subtropical region of the South East Asian countries mainly in China, Phillipines & India. Coorg orange, Nagpur orange, Khasee Orange, Darjeeling orange & Kinnow are all belong to the Mandrine family.
Characteristic of Coorg orange: –
- The unique characteristic of coorg orange is: – A man- made hybrid of mandarin with greenish yellow color & a balance sweet-sour taste. It is renowned for its juicy flesh with unique balance of sweet-sour flavor. Its cultivation in the hilly terrain of Kodagu district of Karnataka.
- Its pulp is dark orange in color and considered one of the best choice for the preparation of Orange Juices, Jam & Marmalade and other citrus product due to perfect balance of sweet and sourness and longer shelf life.
- It is known by several names such as:– Kodagina Kittale, Kodagu orange & Coorg mandarin.
- It is mainly grown in the hilly terrain of Kodagu district, Hassan & Chikmagalur district of Karnataka and mainly harvested from December to February.
- It contains approx 40-45% juice, 0.52-0.57% acidity , 10-12% total soluble solids and 35-40mg of ascorbic acid per pcs of orange.
- Coorg orange has longer shelf life as compare to the other variety of Orange. It is also a good source of Vitamin C
Cultivation of Coorg Orange in Kodagu district of Karnataka:-
There are basically three Main types of Oranges grown in india:– (1) Nagpur Orange, (2) Coorg Orange & (3) Khasi Orange
Coorg orange (also called Coorg mandarin) cultivation is considered ideal and best for Kodagu (Coorg) district of Karnataka because of Western Ghat locations which provide a unique climate of moderate temperature, adequate rainfall, well drainned and fertile lateritic & loomy soil, ideal pH value of soil ( 6.0-8.0) ideal altitude (3000 ft -5000ft above sea level), high humidity & bio-diversity.
https://swadesi.com/coorg-orange-the-tangy-pride-of-kodagu-facing-a-bittersweet-future/
- Today majority of the Coorg orange is planted as multi-tier cropping system with coffee & Black pepper. It is often grown as a secondary crop by the local farmer along with coffee plantation in the kodage region, Hassan & Chikmaglaur district of Karanataka.
- Kodage district is not only popular for the production of Coorge orange but also several other food productions are produce in abundance such as Coffee, Tea, Rubber, areca nuts, pepper, cardamom etc.
- Govt of India has given GI Tag to Coorg Orange in the year 2006 due to its unique characteristic . The total Coorg orange production in karnataka is approx 46000 tones in recent year.
Geographical Indication Tag to Coorg Orange
Coorg Orange was granted GI Tag in the year 2006 under the class 31 of Horticulture product. The GI Tag of Coorg Orange registered in the name of Department of Horticulture, Govt of Karnataka under application number 33. The GI Tag has been recently renewed by the GI Rigistry office Chennai in the year 2025 for another 10 years.
- India 2021 GI Tag special cover of Coorg orang was released on 22nd Oct 2021 Madikeri Karnataka.
Difference between Coorg orange, Nagpur orange, Khasi orange & Kinnow
| Particulars | Coorg orange | Nagpur orange | Khasi orange | Kinnow |
| Origin | Coorg /Kodagu region of karnataka | Nagpur district | Assam & Meghalaya | Punjab, Haryana & Himachal |
| Appearance | Greeyish yellow | vibrant orange color | Orange yellow to bright orange | Deep orange color |
| Taste | balance of sweet-sour | Sweet taste | sweet & aromatic | slightly acidic |
| Juice content | 40-45% | 50-54% | 40-50% | 40-60% |
| Picture |  |
 |
 |
 |
Content Reference:-
The above content has been compiled after referring Karnataka Govt website, GI indication registry website, Research Papers, Research articles, Food magazines, news papers, top culinary websites, Govt websites & personal interaction with wholesal fruit suppliers of delhi, renowned chefs from various hotel brands like The Ashok Group of hotel, ITC, Oberai, Leela, Park Hotels & various IHM Faculties, etc The main purpose of my blog is to educate the students who are pursuing their carier in hotel industry & food industry as well as to spread awareness amoung people about indian food. The picture which i have used has been taken from the open source website .Some of the important website referred for the above content are:-
- https://www.nabard.org/auth/writereaddata/tender/pub_1301250415451328.pdf
- https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/pdf/10.5555/20220202005
- https://www.uasbangalore.edu.in/images/2016-4th-Issue/9.pdf
- https://www.mofpi.gov.in/sites/default/files/study_on_infrastructure_gaps_-_kinnow.pdf
- https://kstdc.co/blog/an-ode-to-the-sons-of-the-soil-karnatakas-indigenous-gi-tagged-crops/
- https://coorg.com/about-coorg/
- https://www.kodaguexpress.com/post/efforts-underway-to-revive-gi-tagged-coorg-oranges
- https://sahasa.in/2021/09/06/coorg-orange/
- http://www.zenithresearch.org.in/images/stories/pdf/2019/MAY/ZIJMR/zijmrmay2019new.pdf
- https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Coorg-orange-harvest-planters-used-to-grow-orange-as-a-single-crop-It-is-now-grown-in_fig3_260325001
- https://nhb.gov.in/report_files/orange/orange.htm
- https://ecofriendlycoffee.org/orange-as-an-intercrop-inside-coffee-plantations/
- https://krishijagran.com/agripedia/coorg-oranges-a-unique-high-demand-crop-with-rich-heritage-and-good-potential/
- https://agritech.tnau.ac.in/horticulture/horti_fruits_mandarin%20orange.html
- https://www.kodaguexpress.com/post/efforts-underway-to-revive-gi-tagged-coorg-oranges
- https://healthybuddha.in/Coorg-Orange
- https://thelegalschool.in/blog/gi-tag-karnataka
- https://swadesi.com/coorg-orange-the-tangy-pride-of-kodagu-facing-a-bittersweet-future/
- https://www.deccanherald.com/content/156896/horticulture-department-revive-coorg-oranges.html
- https://www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/Coorg_orange
- https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/bringing-back-the-old-charm-of-kodagu-oranges/article32231834.ece
- https://medcraveonline.com/HIJ/status-of-production-and-trading-practices-of-citrus-in-india.html
- https://www.indiafoodnetwork.in/ifn-regional/india-gi-tagged-food-880108
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRVOS-4epEU
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jse-b_jxs5U
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36qMFPTIVng
