Manipur’s unique orange and chilli gets GI status

Our Correspondent
Imphal, Sep. 17 (EMN):  After Manipur’s black rice ‘Chakhao’, bagged the Geographical Indication (GI) tag last year, ‘Tamenglong orange’, a species of mandarin group and a unique fruit crop found in the state, along with another special chilli variety ‘Hathei chilli’ has received its Geographical Indication (GI) status.

Confirming this in a tweet on Friday, Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh wrote, “What a great start to the day for Manipur! I’m really happy to share that 2 (two) products of Manipur viz Hathei Chilly and Tamenglong orange have been granted GI Tag”.

‘This is a historic milestone in the history of Manipur which will increase the income of the farmers immensely’, he said.

In 2019, according to reliable sources, Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA) applied for GI tags for Tamenglong orange of Tamenglong district and Sirarakhong Hathei chilli of Ukhrul district. When contacted, Moma’s project director, K Debdutta Sharma said that they are expecting the GI certificates of the Tamenglong orange and Hathei chilli soon. The GI status identifies goods as produced from a particular area which has special quality attributable to its geographical origin. GI has great potential to play a major role in trade and there is a possibility of preserving many traditional skills.

Tamenglong orange is a species of mandarin group is a unique fruit crop found mostly in Tamenglong district, which contributes over 50 percent of the state’s annual production. It is famous especially for its well-blended sweetness and acidic taste.

On the other hand, Hathei chilli, one of the best varieties of chillies with its distinctive flavour and colour is found in Sirarakhong village in Ukhrul district. Apart from its unique taste, its look, size, shape of Hathei chilli is quite singular.

Manipur has been celebrating the Orange Festival every December and Sirarakhong Hathei festival every August for more than a decade to promote these products.