GI Tag for Sikkim’s Chilli

Dalle Khursani, a chilli variety from Sikkim has received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

The Geographical Indication (GI) registry of India has accepted Dalle Khursani, one of the hottest chillies in the world.
As per the documents submitted to the GI registry, the logo for the GI product will bear the name “Dalle Khursani Chilli Sikkim”.
The North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited was the one that applied for the GI tag for Dalle Khursani.

The chilli has a unique flavour and high pungency.
It is cherry-sized and almost round.
When the fruit is fully ripe, it turns bright red.
The chilli has a Scoville score in the range of 100,000 to 350,000 SHU (Scovelle Heat Units).
Grown across Sikkim, Dalle Khursan is one of the most valuable cash crops.
The chilli is valued for its diverse commercial uses.
The crop is perennial and is characterised by small and medium sized pods.
In the state, the annual production of the chilli is between 35 to 40 metric tonnes.
Locally, the chilli is used in various dishes including to prepare pickles and sauce.
The chilli variety is also known to exhibit medicinal properties.

The chilli is grown not just it Sikkim, but in the adjoining eastern Himalayan regions, especially in the Darjeeling hills.
Chilli farmers from the adjoining Darjeeling hills are apprehensive that the name Sikkim on the logo will have implications for them.
They feel that they have been completely left out from the geographical region where the chilli variety is grown and will be deprived of the benefits GI classification provides.

The GI registry has accepted and published the GI application for Dalle Khursan in its GI Journal on August 31, 2020.
The application will be in the public domain and the GI certificate will be issued if there are no objections in the next four months.
As per the officials of the registry, when something is registered as GI, it is deemed to be the property of the government of India. Considering it to be the property of state is a misconception.
A GI property is a community property based on traditional knowledge and the application for Dalle Khursan was based on the cultivation of the plant species in a particular area and is not the question of a state.
Four other chillies from the north-east region with very high SHUs have been included in the GI list.
For example, Bhut Jolokia or Ghosh chilli or Naga King Chilli is grown across Nagaland, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. But, the GI tag for the chilling is given to Nagaland.

GI tags are awarded on the basis of the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.