In a drive to put the North-East on the major exports maps, Geographical Indications (GI) products are being exported to foreign countries. Products are being sent to places like London, The US, Dubai, etc.
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What is exported recently?
Recently a consignment of ‘Raja Mircha’ also referred to as King Chilli was exported to London. It is known as the hottest chili based on the Scoville Heat Units (SHU). This chili is also known as ‘Bhoot Jolokia’ or ‘Ghost Pepper’.
Source
The consignment was sourced from Tuning, a part of the Peren district in Nagaland. It was packed in Guwahati with the assist of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).
When the process began?
APEDA worked with Nagaland State Agricultural Marketing Board (NSAMB) to send the first consignment of fresh King Chilli. APEDA worked with NSAMB for lab testing of the product in June and July which were encouraging for they were organically cultivated. The biggest challenge faced was the freshness because King chilies perish very rapidly.
Origin of the product
King chilies belong to the genus Capsicum of the family Solanaceae. Naga King chilies are known as the hottest chilies in the world based on SHUs and are constantly on the top five hot variants of chilies.
Other products that North-east exported
Other than the recent export of King Chillie, APEDA has been carrying out promotional activities to bring the North-eastern states in the exports map. In 2021 itself, APEDA has spearheaded exports of Jackfruits from Tripura to London and Germany,
Assam Lemon to London, Red rice of Assam to the United States, and Leteku ‘Burmese
Grape’ to Dubai.
