London Receives GI-tagged ‘Bhoot Jolokia’ From Nagaland

For the first time, a consignment of Nagaland's 'Raja Mircha,' also known as King Chilli or Bhoot Jolokia, was exported to London. 

Bhoot Jolokia received its GI certification in 2008, which is an intellectual property protection that protects the production and sale of a product that originates in a specific location and culture. 

As per the Scoville Heat Units, Bhoot Jolokia is the world's hottest chilli (SHU). The Scoville scale is used to determine how much capsaicin (a chemical component) is contained in peppers. Capsaicin causes the tongue to burn, the body to sweat, and the ears to get red. 

According to an official release from the Commerce & Industry Ministry on Wednesday, "this is a major boost to exports of Geographical Indications (GI) products from the north-eastern region." 

In June and July, the Agriculture and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) worked with the Nagaland State Agricultural Marketing Board to provide samples for laboratory testing, and the results were positive because it was farmed organically. 

The King Chilli was acquired from Tening, Nagaland's Peren district, and packed at an APEDA-assisted packhouse in Guwahati, according to the statement. 

The highly perishable nature of fresh King Chilli made exporting it difficult, according to the press statement. 

In the year 2021, APEDA assisted jackfruit exports from Tripura to London and Germany, as well as Assam lemon exports to London, Assam red rice exports to the United States, and Leteku ‘Burmese grape' exports to Dubai.