Manipur Black Rice Chakhao gets Geographical Indicator Tag

Imphal, May 5, 2020:

Manipur’s famous black rice, Chakhao, has finally been able to receive the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) shared the information on its official Twitter handle, posting, “The Geographical Indications Registry website confirmed the report of registering 'Chakhao' in the name of ‘Manipur black rice’ on their official website.”

The application for Chakhao’s GI tag was filed by the Consortium of Producers of Chakhao (Black Rice), Manipur, and the research and process was facilitated by the Department of Agriculture of the Government of Manipur, the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited and the DoNER.

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It may be mentioned here that Chakhao is the aromatic black rice cultivated in Manipur with traditional practices. According to the Small Farmers’ Agri Business Consortium of the State, there are two types - Chakhao amubi and Chakhao poireiton, of which the latter is more popular. The interesting fact is that the black rice is actually deep purple in color and is mainly served during festivities.

According to experts, Chakhao has high vitamin and mineral content and is gluten free. It is said that the presence of the pigment anthocyanin, which imparts colour to the rice, also has antioxidant properties.

According to Manipur SFAC’s research, black rice consumption helps in controlling conditions such as hypertension high cholesterol levels, arthritis, and other diseases.

The GI tag is an indication that identifies products which originate or are produced from a particular area and have the special quality that is attributable to its geographical origin. Darjeeling tea, for instance, produced in Darjeeling, West Bengal, Gamusa is from Assam, etc.

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