The trial exercise of directly exporting fresh fruits and vegetables from Assam to Singapore under the supervision of the island country's Ministry of Trade and Industry was successful, officials said on Saturday. The cargo included coffee plum, star fruit, jackfruit, Assam lemon, and pineapple, the exporter Achintya Kumar Das, the Founder of KADlien Innovations and Export Centre, told PTI.
The 24-kilogram cargo was carried by Druk Air on August 23.
The project is a collaborative effort of Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry and India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry, with support from the Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO), APEDA, and KADlien, he said.
"Singaporean authorities have expressed satisfaction after visiting and witnessing the fruits at the importer's site," Das stated.
Singapore High Commissioner to India Simon Wong also took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate the team behind the project.
"I am happy to announce the first air cargo shipment of fruits from Assam to Singapore. This will establish a direct agro-export source from the NE to Singapore. We thank CM Himanta Biswa Sarma for this pioneer initiative," he said.
FIEO Assam head Kaushik Dutta said," This will no doubt open up new markets for the exotic fruits and vegetables from Assam and North East at large. Also congratulations to @Drukair for starting the direct flight from Guwahati to Singapore."