Andaman seeks GI tag for Nicobari hodi

Subject :Economy

In news-

Tribal Development Council, Andaman & Nicobar Islands is seeking the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the Nicobari hodi boat.
This is the first application from the Union Territory seeking a tag for one its products.

About Nicobari hodi-

The hodi is the Nicobari tribe’s traditional craft.
It is an outrigger canoe, very commonly operated in the Nicobar group of islands.
The technical skills for building a hodi are based on indigenous knowledge inherited by the Nicobarese from their forefathers.
The hodi is built using either locally available trees or from nearby islands, and its design varies slightly from island to island.
Considerations to be taken into account including the length of the finished canoe, which has to be 12 times that of its width while the length of the undressed tree trunk has to be 15 times this width.
Hodis are used for transporting people and goods from one island to another, for sending coconuts, for fishing and racing purposes.
The tuhet, a group of families under a headman, consider the hodi an asset.
Hodi races are held between islands and villages.

About Geographical Indication (GI) Tag-

Geographical Indication (GI) is an indication used to identify goods having special characteristics originating from a definite geographical territory.
The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 seeks to provide for the registration and better protection of geographical indications relating to goods in India.
It is governed and directed by the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
It was decided and also stated under Articles 1 (2) and 10 of the Paris Convention that the protection of industrial Property and Geographical Indication are elements of Intellectual Property.
It is primarily an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods).
This tag is valid for a period of 10 years following which it can be renewed.