Mizoram to export Bird’s eye chilli to the US

March 1, 2023

The Birds Eye Chilli is widely used in Asian cuisines. The chilli is also called Thai chilli. It is native to Mexico. The Spanish and Portuguese people spread the chilli all over the world. The chilli variety has received a GI tag from GoI. The state of Mizoram is to export the chilli variety.

Background

The production of Bird eye chillies in the region has increased. This was due to the initiative called FOCUS. FOCUS means Fostering Climate Resilient Upland Farming System. The project is aided by the International Fund for Agriculture Development the UN. It is implemented in six districts.

Why are Bird’s eye Chillies cultivated using JHUM Cultivation?

Surprisingly FOCUS promotes the production of bird’s eye chillies through Jhum cultivation. As you know, JHUM cultivation causes deforestation, loss of soil fertility, leads to soil erosion, causes air pollution, etc. Then why is JHUM cultivation encouraged? This is because; the farmers in this region are tribal. It is very challenging to bring the tribal out of their traditional practices.
To change the mindset of the farmers, initially, the government goes with their traditional ways. After providing an economic uplift, they slowly begin to improve the literacy rate of the population. Education brings awareness. They adapt to other efficient and climate-friendly agricultural processes only after gaining trust in those methods. For this reason, GoI is promoting JHUM cultivation of Birds Eye Chillies here.

About Bird Eye chillies

The chillies are highly pungent. The SCU of spiciness is 50,000 to 1,00,000. The higher the SCU, the greater their spiciness. SCU means Scoville Heat Units. SCH is a measure of spiciness. They are widely grown in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, etc.

Observation

Chillies are mostly used in Asian cuisines. And so, exporting to the ASEAN countries would increase its trade. India is implementing the Act East policy by using the North East as the Gateway. Therefore, by boosting red chillies production and exports to these countries, GoI can increase its revenue, double farmers’ income in the region, bring in economic growth, increase employment opportunities by setting up food processing centres for bird eye chillies, etc. Apart from the US, India is to expand its exports to ASEAN in the future.

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