Gandhinagar: The Government of Gujarat has decided to rename dragon fruit as Kamalam, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has said, adding that the state government has applied for a patent to change the nomenclature of dragon fruit to ‘Kamalam’.

“The name dragon fruit is not proper, and due to its name, one thinks of China. So we have given it the name ”Kamalam”,” he said.

The Chief Minister in a reply to question said, “Farmers say it looks like lotus and that is the reason we have named it Kamalam.”

There is nothing political behind the renaming of the fruit, Rupani said in reference to a fact that Kamalam is he name of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s state headquarters and Kamal (Lotus flower) is BJP’s symbol.

The fruit is cultivated in arid areas of Gujarat and it is known for its nutritional value such as, it also helps in increasing hemoglobin, Rupani said adding that it is the most expensive fruit available in the markets of the State at present.