Nagaland's King Chilli, 'Raja Mircha', and its Geographical Indication

Background

Raja Mircha, also referred to as king chilli, is a Geographical Indications (GI) product of Nagaland. It got GI certification in 2008. The chilli from Nagaland is also referred to as Bhoot Jolokia and Ghost pepper. Nagaland King Chilli belongs to the genus Capsicum of the family Solanaceae. Naga king chilli has been considered as the world's hottest chilli and is constantly on the top five in the list of the world's hottest chilies based on the Scoville Heat Units (SHUs). The first consignment of fresh King Chilli exported from Nagaland to London, via Guwahati by air, was sourced from Tening, part of Peren district, Nagaland. That export was coordinated by APEDA in collaboration with the Nagaland State Agricultural Marketing Board (NSAMB).