The first shipment of Shahi litchis from Bihar of this season was exported to the UK by air on Monday. APEDA officials say the phytosanitary certification for exports of Shahi litchi was issued from the newly established certification facility at Patna. The fruit is being exported by Cira Enterprises and sourced from farmers in Muzaffarpur, Bihar.
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) collaborated with the Department of Agriculture of Bihar along with other stakeholders. Because of the short-shelf life of the litchis, there is a need to explore export opportunities for processed and value-added products. Shahi litchi was the fourth agricultural product to get GI certification from Bihar in 2018, after Jardalu mango, Katarni rice and Magahi paan.
