Uttarakhand’s first GI Products Gallery has started in Haldwani. More than 30 GI tagged agricultural products, handicrafts and traditional heritage of the state are displayed here.
Uttarakhand has got its first Geographical Indicators (GI) Products Gallery. It has been built at Uttarakhand Forest Training Academy (FTA) in Haldwani. The purpose of making this gallery is so that people can see and understand the diversity of agriculture, traditional art and cultural heritage of Uttarakhand. Trainees, officers and common people coming to the academy will also be able to know about it.
This entire preparation took about three months. During this period, all these things were collected from remote areas of the state. Some things like bedu, litchi of Ramnagar and peach of Ramgarh spoil quickly, hence they have been preserved in a special way.
Uttarakhand has more than 30 GI-tagged products. These include agriculture, handicrafts, food items and other manufactured goods. An interesting thing is that in December 2023, the state got a record 18 GI tags in a single day.
A glimpse of GI-tagged products of Uttarakhand
Farming related products: This includes bay leaves, white kidney beans of Munsiyari, Kumaon Kachura oil, Lakhori chilli of Almora, tea of Berinag and Kala Bhat (black soybean) of Uttarakhand.
Handicrafts: These include Aipan art of Uttarakhand (this is the traditional art of Kumaon in which designs are made with white rice paste on a red background), wooden Ramman mask of Chamoli (it is made by hand for the UNESCO-listed Ramman folk-drama), Tamta products (copper utensils) of Uttarakhand and Ringal craft of Uttarakhand (items made of mountain bamboo).
Apart from these, Nainital candle and Buransh sherbet are also there in this list. Buransh sherbet is made from rhododendron flowers, which is rich in antioxidants and also has many medicinal benefits.
Initiative to conserve heritage and support local economy
All these products are associated with the unique Himalayan geography and rich cultural heritage of Uttarakhand. The GI tag protects the authenticity of these products, supports the local economy and promotes sustainable practices.
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