Mayurbhanj’s red ant chutney receives GI tag. Why this is important for nutritional security of tribals

The Similipal kai chutney made with red weaver ants by the tribal people of Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district received the geographical identity tag on January 2, 2024. 

The application was made by The Mayurbhanj Kai Society Ltd in 2020 for registration in Class 30 under sub-section (1) of section 13 of Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.

The savoury chutney is popular in the region for its healing properties and also deemed important for nutritional security of the tribal people. The scientists of OUAT Bhubaneswar analysed the red weaver ants and found it contains valuable proteins, calcium, zinc, vitamin B-12, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, copper, amino acids, among others. Consuming the species can help boost the immune system and prevent diseases, according to experts.

Many indigenous people from Mayurbhanj district venture into nearby forest to collect kai pimpudi (red weaver ant). Around 500 tribal families have been eking out a living by collecting and selling these insects and a chutney made with them. 

Thanks to the high demand, they manage to sell large quantities at village markets and haats (fairs). The rate of kilogram of live kai pimpudi is around Rs 400-600 and that of the chutney is Rs 1,000. 

A local resident preparing Kai chutney. Photo: Ashis Senapati

The tribal healers also prepare a medicinal oil in which they dip the ants along with pure mustard oil. After a month, this concoction is used as a body oil for babies and to cure rheumatism, gout, ringworm and other diseases by the tribes. The local people also consume this to stay fit and strong. 

The red weaver ants are indigenous to Mayurbhanj and are found in abundance in the jungles of every block area of the district, including in the Similipal Tiger Reserve, throughout the year.

Each year, tribals collect around three quintals of kai pimpudi from the forest in the district, said retired engineer Nayadhar Padhial, who is the secretary of Mayurbhanj Kai Society. Padhial has been working among tribal people since long to promote the red ant chutney.

“We started the society in 2018 to promote kai pimpudi chutney by organising tribal food festivals and  awareness meetings,” he said. The preparation has now become popular among residents of big towns and cities as well, Padhial noted, adding that the membership of the organisation has grown to around 200 villagers.

Red weaver ants are collected from the nests along with their eggs and cleaned. After that, the chutney is prepared by mixing and grinding salt, ginger, garlic and chillies. The hot chutney has a pungent and sour taste and is appetising, said Padhial.

The tribal people also drink soup made with these ants. The red ant is the main source of protection to the health and safety measures of the local tribes, said Deepak Mohanty, a senior scientist and head of Krishi Vigyan Kendra at Jashipur in Mayurbhanj district managed by the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) Bhubaneswar. The specimens are also consumed as a functional ingredient to cure various health problems like stomach ache, dysentery, cold and fever, added Mohanty.

The food is also known to improve appetite as well as enhance eyesight naturally without corrective eyewear. It is also valued for its role in development of a healthy brain and nervous system, helping in battling depression, fatigue and memory loss. 

Nature’s architects

The red weaver ants form colonies with multiple nests in trees. Each nest is made of leaves stitched together with the silk produced by their larvae. They mostly lodge in trees like mango, sal, jambu and jackfruit. The nests are strong enough against wind and impermeable to water. 

Kai’s nests are usually elliptical in shape and range in size from single small leaf folded and bound onto itself to large nest consisting of many leaves and measure over half a metre in length.

The Kai families consist of three categories of members — workers, major workers and queens. Workers and major workers are mostly orange coloured. Workers are 5-6 millimetres long, major workers are 8-10 mm long with strong legs and large mandibles and queens are 20-25 mm long and greenish brown coloured. 

They feed on small insects and other invertebrates like beetles, flies and hymenopterans. They do not sting but have a painful bite into which they can secrete irritant chemicals from their abdomens, noted Mohanty.

Red weaver ants collected with their nests. Photo: Ashis Senapati

They are also recognised as bio-control agents because they are aggressive and will prey on most arthropods entering their territory. They protect a variety of tropical crops against insect pests, acting as an alternative to chemical insecticides. 

An OUAT team prepared a dossier in 2020 with scientific evidence, which was submitted to the Odisha government to support the applicant’s claim for the GI tag for the kai chutney.

After examining the dossier, the government sent it to the office of Geographical Indications Registry in Chennai, said Sanjaya Kumar Dash, dean of college of agricultural engineering and technology at OUAT.

Welcoming the tag, Assistant Chief Conservator of Similipal Tiger Reserve Pradeep Dey said it will help boost the image of Similipal Tiger Reserve, which is home to multiple flora and fauna and has been part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves since 2009. 

The recognition will help raise awareness about the unique properties of this food, said Bipin Munda, a chutney collector of Karanjia.

Geographical indications assign products to the place of its origin. It conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness for such goods.

Under Articles 1 (2) and 10 of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, geographical indications are covered as an element of Intellectual Property Rights. They are also covered under Articles 22-24 of the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.