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Judima Rice Wine : GI Tag

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.