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 chilli from Nagaland was today exported to London via Guwahati by air for the first time.

The consignment of King Chilli also considered as 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.

Exporting fresh King Chilli posed a challenge because of its highly perishable nature.

Nagaland King Chilli 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 chilies based on the SHUs.

APEDA would continue to focus on the north eastern region and has been carrying 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.

Geographical Indication exports: Raja Mircha's first fresh consignment abroad enabled by organic testing and coordinated export facilitation. First-time export of fresh Nagaland King Chilli ('Raja Mircha') to London was arranged by coordinating export facilitation, relying on its Geographical Indication status and laboratory confirmation of organic cultivation. The consignment was sourced from Tening, packed at an APEDA-assisted packhouse in Guwahati, and addressed perishability and quality-control challenges by sending samples for testing prior to shipment.