Guwahati: Mizoram had exported bird’s eye chilli cultivated locally for the first time to the United States. The export was carried out as a part of a campaign to increase market share and state farmer revenue.
State Agriculture Minister C. Lalrinsanga flagged off 7.5 metric tons of typical Mizo chilli to the US from south Mizoram’s Lunglei district on Tuesday, the official said.
According to the official, farmers in three southern districts—Lunglei, Siaha and Lawngtlai harvested the bird’s eye chilies.
The shipment was delivered to Visakhapatnam in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh from where it will be sent to Nevada in the United States.
The Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCD-NER) and Mission Organic Mizoram (MOM) of the agriculture department jointly took the initiative. International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture (ICCOA). When directing the consignment, Lalrinsanga praised the Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) for finishing the project successfully.
According to the Minister, the project’s success highlights the potential of cooperative farming in Mizoram. He inspired department representatives and farmers to keep emphasising organic farming in order to increase the export of local agricultural products.
Executive director of ICCOA Manoj Menon stated that the Mizoram bird’s eye chilli had passed rigorous quality tests in both India and the US and had complied with the Organic Standards Protocol.
He added that farmers in Mizoram are working to grow ginger and turmeric for export.
Lalrinsanga had previously told the state legislature that the Mizo chilli had been given a Geographical Indication (GI) designation by the state government.