King Chilli 'Raja Mircha' from Nagaland exported to London for the first time

In a major boost to exports of Geographical Indications (GI) products from the north-eastern region, a consignment of 'Raja Mircha', also referred to as king chilli from Nagaland, was exported to London via Guwahati by air for the first time.

The consignment of King Chilli also considered as the world's hottest based on the Scoville Heat Units (SHUs). The consignment was sourced from Tening, part of Peren district, Nagaland and was packed at APEDA assisted packhouse at Guwahati.

The chilli from Nagaland is also referred as Bhoot Jolokia and Ghost pepper. It got GI certification in 2008.

APEDA, in collaboration with the Nagaland State Agricultural Marketing Board (NSAMB), coordinated the first export consignment of fresh King Chilli. APEDA had coordinated with NSAMB in sending samples for laboratory testing in June and July 2021 and the results were encouraging as it is grown organically.

According to the reports, exporting fresh King Chilli posed a challenge because of its highly perishable nature. Nagaland King Chilli belongs to the genus Capsicum of the family Solanaceae. Naga king chilli has been considered as the world's hottest chilli and is constantly on the top five in the list of the world's hottest chilies based on the SHUs.

APEDA would continue to focus on the North-Eastern region and carry out promotional activities to bring the North-Eastern states on the export map. In 2021, APEDA has facilitated 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.