Rice variety from Madhya Pradesh gets GI tag

• The local rice brand Chinnor from tribal-dominated Balaghat district in Madhya Pradesh has been awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the central government entity.
• The rice is known for its special fragrance, softness and taste.
• The tag offered to the Balaghat rice variety will play a key role in doubling the income of farmers of the region.

Geographical Indications (GI)

• GI are part of the intellectual property rights that comes under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
• In India, Geographical Indications registration is administered by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act of 1999.
• Geographical indications are typically used for agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine and spirit drinks, handicrafts, and industrial products.

Chinnor Rice

• Grown across Balaghat, around 400 km from Bhopal, the rice brand is known for its special aroma, even uncooked and softness when cooked with a delightful taste.
• The cooked rice is soft, white in colour, slightly sticky, sweet and easily digestible with a strong pop-corn like aroma.
• Although the uncooked rice is aromatic; its aroma significantly increases after cooking, claimed experts.
• The cultivation of Balaghat Chinnor rice requires well-prepared fields and extra care to maintain the purity of the grains.
• Organic manure is applied for its cultivation to maintain its aroma and softness, they said.
• To maintain the originality and purity of the Chinnor rice variety, the farmers of the Balaghat generally select and pick the panicles of the crop from the field before harvesting and put them for drying.
• The dried bulk is threshed and kept for future use as seed.