Mayurbhanj Red Ant Chutney

06.01.2024

Mayurbhanj Red Ant Chutney , Daily Current Affairs , RACE IAS : Best IAS Coaching in Lucknow 

Why In the news?

 Recently, Red Ant Chutney from Mayurbhanj, Odisha has received the GI tag.

Important points:

• Similipal Kai Chutney, made from red weaver ants by the tribal people of Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, received the Geographical Identification tag on January 2, 2024.
• One kilogram of live Kai Pimpudi costs around Rs 400-600 and chutney costs up to Rs 1,000.

About Mayurbhanj's Red Ant Chutney:

• An application for registration in Class 30 under sub-section (1) of Section 13 of the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 was applied for by Mayurbhanj Kai Society Limited in 2020.
• Red weaver ants are native to Mayurbhanj and are found in abundance throughout the year in the forests of every block area of the district including the Similipal Tiger Reserve.
• This delicious chutney is popular in the region due to its healing properties and is also considered important for the nutritional security of the tribal people.
• The indigenous people of Mayurbhanj are earning their living by selling red weaver ants and the chutney made from them.
• The indigenous people of Mayurbhanj district collect Kai Pimpudi (red weaver ant) from the forests to obtain it.
• About 500 tribal families are earning their living by collecting these insects and selling chutney made from them.

Process :

• Red weaver ants are collected and cleaned from the nests along with their eggs.
• After this, chutney is prepared by mixing and grinding salt, ginger, garlic and chili.

Specialty of Mayurbhanj's Red Ant Chutney:

• Scientists at OUAT Bhubaneswar analyzed red weaver ants and found that…
• It contains valuable proteins, calcium, zinc, vitamin B-12, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, copper, amino acids, etc.
• According to experts, consumption of the species can help boost the immune system and prevent diseases.
• Tribal healers also prepare a medicinal oil in which they dip ants along with pure mustard oil.
• After a month, this mixture is used as body oil for infants and by tribes to cure rheumatism, arthritis, ringworm and other diseases.
• This chutney is also useful in curing various health problems like stomach ache, dysentery, cold and fever.
• This food is also known to improve appetite as well as enhance eyesight naturally without improving it.
• It is also known to help promote healthy brain and nervous system development, fight depression, fatigue, and memory loss.
• Local people also consume it to stay fit and strong.

Red weaver ants:

• Red weaver ants form colonies with many nests on trees.
  • Their nests are very strong against wind and impermeable to water.

• Each nest is made of leaves stitched together with silk produced by their larvae.
• They mostly reside on trees like mango, sal, jambu and jackfruit.
• Their nests are usually oval in shape and range in size from a single small folded and folded leaf to large nests with many leaves
• And their nests are more than half a meter in length.
• They feed on small insects and other invertebrates such as beetles, flies and hymenopterans.
• Their bites are painful, causing them to secrete irritating chemicals from their stomachs.

Type :

• Mostly there are three categories of members in their nests.
  • Workers.
  • Key workers.
  • Queen.

• Workers and key workers are mostly orange in color.
• Workers are 5–6 mm long, with dominant workers being 8–10 mm long, with strong legs and large jaws and the queen being 20–25 mm long and greenish-brown.

Importance :

• Also recognized as biocontrol agents.
• Because they are aggressive and prey on most arthropods that enter their territory.
• They also protect a variety of tropical crops from insects by acting as an alternative to chemical pesticides.

                                Source:Down to earth