Nirendra Dev
The consignment was sourced from Tening, part of Peren district Nagaland and was packed at Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) assisted packhorse at Guwahati.
New Delhi: Who should know or rather try to know India better than the country's Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself?
The other day, he tweeted: "Wonderful news. Only those who have eaten the Bhoot Jolokia will know how spicy it is!"
It is about Naga chillies popularly called Raja Mircha or King Chili! These are real hot stuff, and the aroma is unique!
On July 28, Nagaland exported 250 kg of king chili to the United Kingdom.
This is the first export consignment of the chili that has Geographical Indication (GI) tagging.
The Prime Minister's tweet also had a PIB release, and that said: "In a major boost to exports of Geographical Indications (GI) products from the north-eastern region, a consignment of ‘Raja Mircha’ also referred as king chili from Nagaland was today (July 28) exported to London via Guwahati by air for the first time."
King Chili's consignment is also considered 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 Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) assisted packhorse at Guwahati.
The chilli from Nagaland is also referred to as Bhoot Jolokia and Ghost pepper.
It got GI certification in 2008.
Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal also tweeted in Hindi, stating that the Nagaland chilli now would reach London.
The PIB release also said – "Nagaland King Chili belongs to genus Capsicum of 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 chillies based on the SHUs."
The Naga King chilli or 'Capsicum Chinense' a few years back used to sell at Rs 50,000 per kg in Japan.
An official delegation from Manipur led by the then Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh and a senior state government official principal secretary (Commerce and Industries) O. Nabakishore noted the staggering price of the chilli grown in the North-Eastern region of India.
It is said in the northeast that Asthma patients get relief by regular use of Naga king chili.
Naga traditional dishes flavoured with hints of ginger or garlic, some king chilli (bhut jolokia) and a little oil or meat fat essentially help retain the ingredients' basic taste and does not encourage the use of spices.
Nagaland government officials say various Naga organic products are in high demand in Australia, Gulf/Dubai and European markets, and products such as pineapple, Naga kiwi, ginger, large cardamom, etc., the pipeline for export to international markets.
