Assam lemon reaches UK markets

GUWAHATI: The Department of Agriculture through the Assam Agri-Business and Rural Transformation Project (APART) initiated its first export-oriented consignment by facilitating the export of Assam lemon from Panbari Bodofa Farmer Producer Company (FPC) in Chirang district.

The consignment of 1200 kg of Assam lemon was handpicked from selected lemon orchards under Panbari FPC and packed for shipment adhering to all the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for export shipments of agri-horti commodities. This was conducted under close supervision of APART team at the Bodofa FPC Common Service Center. The consignment was delivered at the International Cargo Terminal of LGBIA Guwahati jointly by Bodofa FPC and APART officials in the presence of the exporter, Keiga Exims Pvt. Ltd, a registered exporter under Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

This initial export transaction under APART is considered to be highly successful as it fulfilled all the salient features for export promotion. The farmers were also able to sell their produce at a premium price as the same was procured directly from the farm gate. The aggregation model was through the FPC, and pre-shipment sampling, physical assessment and parameter check were carried out by the APART team, following all the SOPs for export.

The consignment was dispatched from Guwahati Airport on July 7, 2021 and was delivered at the Wholesale International Market, New Spitelfield, United Kingdom on July 9, 2021. The consignment was accepted and the quality of lemons was appreciated by both the exporter and the importer.

This successful market linkage initiative is a stepping stone of connecting the farmers and FPCs directly to the International Market and thus opening the doors for future opportunities of export of Agri-Horti produce from Assam, stated a press release.

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