After exporting mangoes to Germany last year, Andhra Pradesh is all set to take another leap by exporting ladies' fingers (also know as okra) to Europe. The first batch would be dispatched from Nuzvid in the district to Frankfurt on Friday to be marketed as ‘Amaravati Greens’.
Two farmers from the Vizianagaram and the Prakasam district cultivated the exportable varieties on 4 ha each. The samples were sent for tests at the Vimta Labs in Pune and were found to be free from pesticide residues, qualifying them for export to Europe.
Horticulture Commissioner Chiranjiv Choudhary told The Hindu the harvested crop would be graded at the Nuzvid Pack House. The European countries look for the vegetable with a size less than 10 cm. The graded and pre-cooled bhendi would be packed in 5 kg boxes. The consignment would be sent from Hyderabad and would reach Frankfurt on Saturday (Indian time) and hit the market a day after, he said.
In the local market, the price for these ladies' fingers hovers between ₹20 and ₹25 a kg (€0.26-0.30). The exporter is paying ₹3 more per kg. The farmers cultivated the Namdhari and the Radhika varieties. Thehindu.com reported that the yield ought to be around 20 to 30 tons in three months.
