New Delhi: The 42nd India International Trade Fair (IITF) is now taking place in Delhi’s Pragati Maidan, and three GI-tagged items, sponsored by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and the Arunachal Pradesh government, are being displayed for the first time, officials said on Thursday.
Arunachal Pradesh Khamti Rice, Yak Churpi, and Tangsa Textiles are the three Geographical Indication (GI) tagged products that have obtained the prestigious GI tag this year, according to an official in Itanagar. Dr. Rajnikant, a national GI technical facilitator and expert, has been instrumental in leading the registration process for these well-known and distinctive products.
Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Research Centre on Yak (NRCY) Director, Dr Mihir Sarkar said that the Khamti Rice and Yak Churpi are the first agriculture and food products and Tangsa Textile, the second textile product of Arunachal Pradesh, to have obtained GI certification.
This provides a better opportunity for generating livelihood and income through expanding both the national and international marketability of the product by assured authenticity and quality products supplied to consumers, he said.
According to Sarkar, Khampti rice is a type of chewy sticky rice that is grown by Khampti tribal farmers in the Namsai region of Arunachal. The distinctive rice is used by the people to make a variety of customary dishes.
Yak Churpi is a fermented homemade product manufactured from fermented raw skimmed yak milk of the Arunachali yak breed. It has a consistency similar to cottage cheese and is based on casein.
Under the direction of Dr. Sarkar, ICAR-NRC on Yak, Dirang, took on the work of registering this product because of its uniqueness and potential for improving the socioeconomic standing of its producers. He believed that the Yak Churpi’s GI badge would benefit yak pastoralists by improving the product’s marketability, accessibility, and authenticity.
The Tangsa tribe in Changlang district produces Tangsa textiles, which are known for their distinctive exotic designs and vivid colors that capture the region’s rich cultural diversity.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which is a division of the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, also issued the Himalayan Yak with a food animal tag in November of last year.
The majority of Yaks—about 26,000—live in Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir. They are followed by roughly 24,000 in Arunachal Pradesh, primarily in the districts of Tawang and West Kameng; 5,000 in Sikkim; 2,000 in Himachal Pradesh; and roughly 1,000 in North Bengal (West Bengal) and Uttarakhand.
