Bhut Jolokia (ghost pepper), known as one of the hottest chilies in the world, was exported from Nagaland to London for the first time on Wednesday.
They also call it Raja Mirchi in India or king chili from Nagaland. In 2008, Bhut Jolokia had received its Geographical Indication (GI) certification.
Calling it a “major boost to exports of GI products from the north-eastern region,” the union government shared the news of Bhut Jolokia’s export to London, UK.
It also mentioned that Bhut or Bhoot Jolokia is considered the world’s hottest chili based on the Scoville Heat Units (SHU).
Airport Authority of India said that the Bhut Jolokia (ghost pepper) was exported to London from the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati, Assam, via an Air India flight. The 250 kg consignment of king chilies was sourced from Tening, part of Peren district, Nagaland and was packed at an APEDA assisted packhouse at Guwahati.
Because of their perishable nature, exporting the spice has been proved to be a challenge. To facilitate the export, they chose the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), the apex body which promotes the export of agricultural products from the country, collaborated with the Nagaland State Agricultural Marketing Board.
APEDA has also 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.