A Look at the Geographical Indication Status – GI Tags of Northeast India

Bhut Jolokia of Nagaland Darjeeling Tea of West Bengal Sikkim Large Cardamom Khasi Mandarin of Meghalaya

What Do These Names Have in Common?

These are the products listed among the 370 products (agriculture, handicrafts and textiles) which have been granted the Geographical Indication or GI Tag in India. These numbers are as of September 2020. Look up this list for the latest numbers.

You wonder which product got the first GI Tag in India? It was Darjeeling Tea.

Ever since Darjeeling Tea became the first GI tagged produce in India, in 2004-05, a further 369 products have been added to the list so far.

What Does Geographical Indication or Gi Tag Mean?

The official definition from the World Intellectual Property Organization reads:

A geographical indication (GI) is a symbol used on products that has a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. In order to function as a GI, a sign must identify a product as originating in a given place. In addition, the qualities, characteristics or reputation of the product should be essentially due to the place of origin. (Source)

A Geographical Indication therefore:

• Signifies a product that originates from a specific geographical territory or region
• Confirms that the production, processing, preparation or manufacture of such product is unique to that location.
• Attaches rights upon the specified product or products as the intellectual property of the community or producer

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How Does GI Tagging Help?

For every ten spoonfuls that you put into your mouth, there must be at least five times when you've asked yourself where the food came from. But lack of information precludes your curiosity and you go on.

With GI tagged produce, you now know exactly where your food comes from and that helps you decide whether you'd like to continue or stop. A good example is the Lakadong Turmeric, which is still in the process of being GI tagged. Once it has been tagged, you as a consumer can rest assured that the product is authentic, genuine and finds it origin in Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya.

Once the GI Tag is assigned to Lakadong, no other product can carry the tag or the name Lakadong Turmeric as the GI tagging also offers legal protection against free market malpractices. On the other hand, this procedure also helps open up the markets for the farmers of the particular region, enhancing the possibility of improving their revenue.

Before, middlemen and malpractitioners would have falsely tagged sub-standard products, farmers can now rest assured that their products will get first preference and fair prices.

The Trend in GI Registration in India

In the study of the list of registered GIs, an interesting trend that can be noticed is the state of origin of various registrations. The southern states in India have topped the charts in obtaining GI registrations as against the rest of the states. Karnataka leads the way with 48 GIs, followed by Tamil Nadu (38), Andhra Pradesh (20), Telengana (16) and Kerala (36). These numbers are as of September 2020. Look up this list for the latest numbers.

GI Registration Status of Northeast India

As of September 2020, out of the 370 GIs on the list released by the registrar of geographical indications, Chennai, 29 are from the Northeast (including Sikkim).

The chart below illustrates the percentage-wise distribution*:

GI Tag from Northeast India's Perspective

As seen from the list of registered GIs, other states have quickly grabbed the opportunity and secured GI tagging of their goods and produce peculiar to their region. It was heartening to see a spurt in the number of registrations for the NE region from 2019 onwards, specially from Mizoram.

The Northeast region’s biggest advantage is the rich diversity in agricultural and horticultural crops, artifacts and handicrafts. NERAMAC or the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited, has obtained GI tag for ten products from the Northeast.

An interesting product among these is the Memang narang, a small orange found in the Garo Hills district of Meghalaya.