GUWAHATI: Oranges (mandarins) from Dambuk in Arunachal Pradesh have made their way to markets in Hong Kong and Dubai.
Two consignments of such mandarins weighing one tonne each were sent via SpiceXpress, the freighter service of Spice Jet, to the overseas destinations from here on Monday afternoon.
Assam industry minister, Chandra Mohan Patowary flagged off the cargo-laden flights to the two destinations from the cargo complex at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport here.
Spice Jet had launched the dedicated freighter service on September 18 to become the first scheduled domestic airline in the country to diversify into the air freight market.
The mandarins were grown at orchards in Arunachal supervised by SpiceFresh, a new company started by the airline, which caters to the shipment of fruits and vegetables to domestic as well as international markets.
The new cargo flights bring in huge opportunities for the region to expand the company’s exports to international markets.
The commissioning of the customs clearance facility at the LGBI Airport recently has seen a flurry of consignments of fruit and vegetables from Assam and the rest of the Northeast.
The initiative was fully supported by the Assam industry and commerce department, Assam Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (AIIDC), Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Airports Authority of India (AAI) and AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Limited.
The airline will service Hong Kong with daily 18T freighter flights split between Guwahati and Kolkata and both the Hong Kong and Dubai routes will be served using Spice Jet’s aircraft on the airline’s international network.
“SpiceFresh sees huge potential for exports of agricultural products from Northeast India and the company is also planning to start stevia and okra (lady finger) plantations in the Northeast, primarily for exports,” a statement issued here said.
The company also aims to initiate exports of over five tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables from Magh Bihu, which will not only provide a big boost to the farmers of Assam but will contribute to economic growth in the region.