Baksa honey makes US debut, 20MT shipped

Guwahati: The Bodoland region, home to some of Assam’s top honey-producing districts, recorded its first-ever honey export from Baksa district to the United States on Saturday, with a 20-metric-tonne shipment sourced from around 500 farmers.Baksa, in the Bodoland Territorial Council area and listed by NITI Aayog as an aspirational district, has been selected for promotion under the Centre’s “One District One Product” initiative. The district, bordering Bhutan, is known for honey described by officials as naturally pure, derived from rich floral diversity, and valued for nutritional and medicinal properties.The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority facilitated the farmer-led export under the “One District One Product” initiative. The honey was processed and packed at Salt Range Foods Private Limited’s facility in Guwahati.The consignment was ceremonially flagged off with Aruna Rajoria, commissioner and secretary to the state agriculture department and agriculture production commissioner, Assam, as chief guest, in the presence of APEDA chairman Abhishek Dev and ARIAS Society State Project director Virendra Mittal.Rajoria said the state was working to scale up exports and improve standards. “We hope the volume will increase and more districts will be involved in next phases,” she said. “Export sets a benchmark. So our effort is to maintain quality and strengthen the entire nutrition chain,” Rajoria said.APEDA, under the ministry of commerce and industry, supported the export by helping develop infrastructure, including testing and laboratory equipment at the processing facility, to meet international quality and food safety requirements.Sources said the consignment will be transported to Mundra port and shipped to the US by sea.“Assam has immense potential for honey production owing to its rich biodiversity, abundant forest resources and long-standing tradition of beekeeping. Honey collection in Assam has been practised for centuries by indigenous communities such as the Karbi, Mishing and Bodo tribes, where it has traditionally been used as food, medicine and in cultural and religious practices,” stated an official release.