Manipur’s Hathei Chilli And Tamenglong Orange Get GI Tag – Free PDF Download

• Manipur’s most famous Hathei chilli and Tamenglong orange have finally been awarded the GI Tag.
• This is a historic milestone in the history of Manipur and it will increase the income of farmers in Manipur.

Hathei Chilli

• Hathei chilly, commonly known as the Sirarakhong chilly, is almost 9-inches in size and bright red in colour.
• This specific variety of chilli thrives well only in the climatic condition of the Sirarakhong village of the Ukhrul district, which is situated about 66 km from Imphal.

• The Hathei chilli is primarily grown by the locals of the Sirarakhong village in the Ukhrul district, who consider it as ‘God’s gift’.
• It is believed to have been discovered by the villagers when they were hunting in the forest.
• The SirarakhongHathei is so popular that an annual festival is held to promote the chilli.
• The village also has a folk song dedicated to the chilli, in which they compare the worth of the chilli to a prized shawl of the Tangkhul Naga tribe known as ‘Khuilang’.
• The Hathei chilly is loaded with antioxidants and contains high calcium and Vitamin C levels.

Tamenglong Orange

• Another Indian food that bagged its GI Tag is the Tamenglong Orange.
• This orange variant belongs to the Tamenglong district of Manipur, which is also known as ‘The Orange Bowl of Manipur’.
• The Tamenglong orange is famous for its acidic taste and well-blended sweetness.
• The orange has a bright orange colour and weighs about 232.76 grams on average. Tamenglong orange is quite juicy with a 45 percent juice content and provides a good dose of vitamin C.

• This is not the first agricultural product from Manipur that has been granted the GI tag.
• In May 2020, Manipur black rice, known for its special aroma, bagged the GI tag.
• Earlier, a unique variety of lemon, the Kachai lemon, which is cultivated in the Kachai village of Ukhrul district, was also awarded the GI tag.
• It is mention worthy here that Manipur has been promoting these two produce by celebrating the Orange Festival every December and Sirarakhong Hathei festival every August for over a decade now.

About Orange Festival

• The Orange Festival is conducted under the sponsorship of the North Eastern Council.
• The festival aims to promote the fruit and encourage its growers.
• The festival hosted more than 300 orange stalls.
• In the festival, competition for the Orange growers was held and prizes were distributed to top position holders.
• Tamenglong districtis the largest producer of orange fruit in

What is GI Tag?

• According to World intelectual property organization ( WIPO), A geographical indication (GI) is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
• In order to function as a GI, a sign must identify a product as originating in a given place.
• In addition, the qualities, characteristics or reputation of the product should be essentially due to the place of origin. Since the qualities depend on the geographical place of production, there is a clear link between the product and its original place of production.
• Geographical indications are typically used for agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine and spirit drinks, handicrafts, and industrial products.
• The registration of a geographical indication is valid for a period of 10 years. It can be renewed from time to time for further period of 10 years each.
• In December 1999, the Parliament had passed the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act,1999.
• This Act seeks to provide for the registration and better protection of geographical indications relating to goods in India.
• This Act is administered by the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks- who is the Registrar of Geographical Indications. The Geographical Indications Registry would be located at Chennai.

Benefit of registration of geographical indications

• It confers legal protection to Geographical Indications in India.
• Prevents unauthorised use of a Registered Geographical Indication by others.
• It provides legal protection to Indian Geographical Indications which in turn boost exports.
• It promotes economic prosperity of producers of goods produced in a geographical territory.

• In India Darjeeling Tea was the first product to get a GI tag in 2004–05.
• Since then more than 365 goods have been added to the list, including Kashmir Pashmina, Kerala’s Aranmula Kannadi, Mizo Chilli and Makrana Marble.

Question:

• Which one is the largest district by area wise in Manipur
• (A) Churachandpur
• (B) Ukhrul
• (C) Tamenglong
• (D) Chandel

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