Giving a major push to the Indian agricultural export industry, “Bhut”/”Bhoot Jolokia” (also known as Ghost Chilli) – one of the hottest chillies in the world, was exported from Guwahati to London for the first time on Wednesday.
Officials from the Airports Authority of India has informed that the GI tagged, north-eastern chilli was formally exported to London from the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati via an Air India flight.
“We are very much enthusiastic that the cargo export potential from the airports in the northeast region would grow, benefitting the local food producing organisations, specially the farmers. The AAI has developed standard facilities in air cargo complex for enabling export of NER produce to the domestic as well as international markets.”
~ AAIs Regional Executive Director Ravi Kant
As per the AAI officials, the international cargo facilities at Guwahati airport is prepared to handle 700 MT cargo with Customs, and EDI connectivity to process export and import shipments by positioning plant quarantine desk, cold storage, dangerous goods shed and all the necessary security equipment like CCTVs, door frame metal detector, etc.
The Plant Quarantine Station, Guwahati, Assistant Director, Vageesh Pandey said that he is very delighted to issue a Phytosanitary Certificate for “Bhut Jolokia”, which is going first time from Assam to the UK.
He further informed, that in addition to the chillies, three shipments of organic Assamese Kazi Nemu were also certified and sent to the UK a couple of days before and a betel leaves shipment was also being exported there.
“On Saturday, we plan to send colocasia to the UK and from the next week we would be certifying daily one or two shipments from the region to all European countries,” Pandey added.
“Bhut Jolokia” procured from Nagaland consists of 250 kg sample shipment, along with 500 kg of betel leaves proceeding to London from the Guwahati air cargo complex, informed AAI’s Cargo wing Deputy General Manager Nazeer A.S. Basha.
He said that last month, 1,200 kg of Tripura’s jackfruits were exported to Frankfurt and perishable cargo were regularly being exported to London, Dubai, Hong Kong and Frankfurt from the LGBI airport.
“Under the Krishi-UDAN, the NER airports have sent around 2,000 MT of agri products and fruits including lemon, ginger, betel leaves, vegetables of various types to mainland India and also exported to various foreign destinations by offering 50 per cent subsidy on freight and storage charges under the Government’s ‘Operation Green’,” Basha said.
“This is a boon for the farmers of NER which would help to grow their business and to double their income.”
