Mizoram to Export ‘Bird’s Eye Chili’ to US

State Agriculture Minister C. Lalrinsanga during theassembly session on Monday informed that Mizoram would soon export ‘Bird's eye Chili’, a typical Mizo organic chili, to the United State (US) for the first time.

Replying to a supplementary question from opposition Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) leader Lalduhoma, the agriculture minister said that 7.5 metric ton of organic bird's eye chili would be flagged off to the US. He said that the consignment would be sent to the US soon after the ongoing budget session, which will conclude on Tuesday.

Lalrinsanga said that the government has obtained geographical identification (GI) for the bird's eye chili or Mizo chili. The chili has successfully passed an organic confirmation test at Bangalore last week, he said. In another reply, the agriculture minister also said the state government is making efforts to improve jhum cultivation.

Fostering Climate Resilient Upland Farming System in the Northeast (FOCUS) is being implemented in six districts under Externally Aided Project (EAP) for improvement of jhum cultivation, he said. The minister also said that a three-tier Integrated Farming System (IFS) would be implemented in 20 villages within the six districts covered by FOCUS to improve jhum or slash and burn cultivation. Mizoram is largely an agrarian state as the majority population is dependent on agriculture. The traditional jhum or shifting cultivation is widely practiced in the state.

The bird's eye chili plant is a perennial with small, tapering fruits, often two or three, at a node. The fruits are very pungent.

The bird's eye chili is small, but is quite hot. It measures around 100,000 - 225,000 Scoville units, which is at the lower half of the range for the habanero, but many times hotter than the spiciest jalapeños

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