Kreamery Craft based in Calcutta along with Spicejet Merchandise Private Limited is exporting bananas from Assam under the brand name Spicefresh to Dubai. The malbhog variety of banana is being exported under the aegis of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).
A total 1.2 MT of bananas will be exported on Wednesday from Assam through Spicejet. Out of the total export of fresh bananas from the country, UAE is the highest with around 30 per cent share in 2016-17. The total quantity exported was 24,277 metric tonnes valued at Rs 118 crore.
The bananas are being sourced from Daranggiri in Goalpara which runs Northeast’s biggest banana market. An APEDA official in New Delhi said that the department is trying its best to provide a market to agricultural and horticultural produce from Assam and Northeast. He also mentioned that pineapples and mandarin have been exported from Northeast India already.
According to a horticulture department report, the commercially important varieties are jahaji, malbhog, amrit sagar, kach kol and cheni champa. Commercial banana activity is common in and around Daranggiri. Jorhat district is known for abundance of the best quality jahaji, while Nagaon, Morigaon and Kamrup districts are referred as producers of the best quality malbhog.
