Our Correspondent
Sirarakhong, Aug. 30 (EMN):The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in Manipur on Thursday formally handed over a small processing unit that would speed up drying of a minimum of 100 kilogram of chilli daily, to the villagers of Sirarakhong, a small hamlet located about 67 km away from Imphal in Manipur’s Ukhrul district.
The processing unit includes a grinder, a dryer, sealer, sieving, and weighing machines. It was provided to the villagers through the Sirarakhong Hathei Promotion Committee considering the potential of the village which produces an exclusive variety of chilli. It has higher ASTA colour value than the Kashmiri chilli in the country, according to Senior Scientist Dr Dr Subhra Saikat Roy of the ICAR.
A small formal programme was held during the second day of the ongoing 3-day 9th Hathei Phanit or chilli festival.
Earlier, the second day of the 3-day chilli festival saw honouring of local MLA Khashim Vashum with traditional attire and a basket of chilli. In return, the MLA handed a token of financial assistance to the festival’s organisers.
Chilli is cultivated in the ‘jhum’ areas of the village, which has around 400 houses with a population of more than 2000. 80% of the population who were engaged in chilli cultivation have been producing around 10,000 kilograms of chilli annually. There are eight varieties of chillies including Hathei in Manipur, according to horticulture officials.
