If you spot Tezpur litchi in a London supermarket, give the credit to farmers of Sonitpur district and the Department of Agriculture, among others. Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on June 12 flagged off a consignment of indigenous Geographical Identification (GI) tagged Tezpur Litchis for export to London at the Tezpur Convention Centre. The consignment was exported by Agnigarh Producer Company Ltd, a farmers’ producer organisation with 106 members, through Kiega Exims.
Those who made the exports possible include Sonitpur District Agricultural Department, NABARD supported by APEDA, Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART), Biswanath College of Agriculture under Assam Agricultural University and Tezpur University, besides the district administration.
“The export of litchi will uplift the economic condition of small and marginal farmers in the district,” the Chief Minister later stated in a tweet.
Tezpur Litchi of Assam received the geographical indication (GI) tag in 2013 through NERAMAC. Pankaj Saikia, Assistant Director of the Agriculture Department, told Asom Barta that Tezpur Litchi is known for its excellent quality, pleasant flavour, juicy pulp and for its attractive colour.
“It is a broad term which covers five varieties of litchi grown in and around Tezpur town in Sonitpur district of the State. The export consignment consisted of litchi grown in Na-Paam and Paruwa area near the Tezpur Central University,” he said. “The focus was to bring maximum benefit to the farmers by leveraging the GI Tag accorded to Tezpur Litchi”.
Pranjal Sarma, SDO (Horticulture) of Sonitpur district, said that a buyer-seller meeting with farmers and prospective litchi exporters in the presence of stakeholders was held on May 19, 2022 under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner, Sonitpur. It was this meeting which facilitated the export of 650 kg Tezpur Litchi (Bombaiya and Shahi varieties) to London.
“We have identified three areas in Sonitpur for Tezpur Litchi cultivation: Ghoramari, Bhalukpung and Rakshasmari. We are planning to add 200 bighas of land for cultivating this fruit. At present, there are nearly 250 Tezpur Litchi farmers in the district,” Sarma told Asom Barta.
