State will showcase GI tagged products in 42nd India International Trade Fair
Itanagar/New Delhi: Three GI tagged products supported by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and Government of Arunachal Pradesh are being showcased for the first time at the ongoing 42nd India International Trade Fair (IITF) at Pragati Maidan, Delhi. Officials said this on Thursday.
An Itanagar official said three Geographical Indication (GI) tagged products – Arunachal Pradesh Khamti rice, Yak Churpi, and Tangsa textiles – received the coveted GI tag this year under the leadership of National GI Technical Facilitator and Expert Dr Rajnikanth. Registration of these prominent and unique products.
Dr. Mihir Sarkar, Director, Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Research Center on Yak (NRCY), said that Khamti rice and Yak Churpi are the first agriculture and food products and Tangsa Textile is the second textile product from Arunachal Pradesh to receive GI . Certification.
He said that it provides better opportunity to the consumers to generate livelihood and income by expanding the national and international marketability of the product by providing them with products of assured authenticity and quality.
The government said Khamti rice is a chewy, sticky rice variety cultivated by Khampti tribal farmers in the Namsai region of Arunachal. The rice is unique and the local people use it for the preparation of various traditional dishes.
Yak Churpi is a fermented home-made, casein-based cheese-like product prepared from raw skimmed and fermented yak milk of the Arunachal yak breed.
Due to its uniqueness and potential for socio-economic upliftment of its producers, ICAR-NRC on Yak, Dirang under the guidance of Dr. Sarkar took up the task of registering this product. He considered the GI tag of Yak Churpi as a boon for the yak cattle farmers which will help in increasing the accessibility, authenticity and marketability of the product.
Tangsa Textile is the traditional craft product of the Tangsa tribe of Changlang district, famous for its unique exotic designs and vibrant colors reflecting the cultural richness of the region.
The Himalayan Yak has also received the Food Animal Tag from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in November last year.
Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir have the largest population of about 26,000 yaks, followed by about 24,000 in Arunachal Pradesh, mostly in Tawang and West Kameng districts, 5,000 in Sikkim, 2,000 in Himachal Pradesh and about 2,000 in North Bengal (West Bengal) and Uttarakhand. There are 1,000. , (IANS)
