WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
➤ A proud moment for the small farmers of Assam, the Boka Chaul (mud rice) has received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the government of India’s Intellectual Property India (IPI) body.
➤ This is the only product after Muga silk, Joha rice and Tezpur litchi to have earned the GI tag.
WHAT IS GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION (GI) TAG
➤ A GI tag =A particular item has originated from a particular region only.
For example: Kanchipuram Silk Saree, Alphanso Mango, Nagpur Orange, Kolhapuri Chappal, Bikaneri Bhujia, Agra Petha
➤ So outsiders cannot sell other variety of teas with title/label “Darjeeling”, else they can be punished.
GI TAGS – A REQUIREMENT OF TRIPS AGREEMENT
➤ India, as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), enacted the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection)Act, 1999 has come into force with effect from 15th September 2003.
➤ Darjeeling Tea was the first Indian product to get the geographical indication tag. In 2004, the famous beverage got the recognition.
NOTES
➤ In parts of lower Assam, especially during the ‘xaali’ season (the hottest, most strenuous period of paddy farming that starts in June and ends in December), farmers subsist, almost entirely, on a specific kind of indigenous rice: boka saul, or ‘mud rice’.
➤ Boka saul (oryza sativa) is a paddy variety grown in parts of lower Assam — Nalbari, Barpeta, Goalpara, Kamrup, Darrang, Dhubri, Chirang, Bongaiagoan, Kokrajhar, Baksa etc.
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Back in the 17th century, it was the fuel for the Ahom soldiers fighting the Mughal army.
LIMITED TO RURAL
➤ The urban populace hasn’t really caught on yet. “But they should. Boka saul requires zero fuel.
➤ The rice does not need to be cooked!”
➤ “Just soak the rice in (cold) water for one hour, and it swells up like a charm. Mix it with curd, jaggery and banana, and it’s ready to eat. It will sort you for the whole day,” NUTRITIONAL
➤ While the “zero-fuel requirement” rates high on its unique quotient, boka saul — usually sowed in June and harvested in December — is highly nutritious.
➤ It has 10.73 per cent fibre content and 6.8 percent protein, according to a study by the Guwahati University’s Biotechnology department
NOTES
➤ Over the last four years, the scientific tests and analyses for boka saul was done in consultation with Assam Agricultural University, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Assam Science Technology and Environment Council and Guwahati University’s Biotechnology Department.
➤ The rice can work well as a “disaster management” food as well as supplement for soldiers in high-altitude frontier areas.
