GI Tag To Assam’s Judima Wine Rice:
Judima, a home-made rice wine of Assam’s Dimasa tribe has become the first traditional brew in all of northeast to bag a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
- This is the second product from the hill districts of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao to get GI tag.
- Earlier, Manipur’s most famous Hathei chilli and Tamenglong orange were awarded the GI Tag.
- Judima is a rice wine made from sticky rice (glutinous rice called Bora), which is steamed and mixed with traditional herbs called Thembra (Acacia pennata).
- The wine is a specialty of the Dimasa tribe of the state (Assam) and has a distinct sweet taste and takes around one week to prepare and it can be stored for years.
- There are around 14 recognized Plain Tribe communities, 15 Hills Tribe communities and 16 recognized Scheduled Caste communities in the state.
- The Bodos are the largest group, comprising almost half of the state’s tribal population. Other major ST groups include Mising, Karbi, Rabha, Kachari, Lalung and Dimasa.
Geographical Indication (GI):
- GI is an indication used to identify goods having special characteristics originating from a definite geographical territory.
- It is also a part of the World Trade Organisation’s Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
- GI tag in India is governed by Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act, 1999. It is issued by the Geographical Indications Registry (Chennai).
- The registration of a geographical indication is valid for a period of 10 years.
- The GI protection in India leads to recognition of the product in other countries thus boosting exports.
