Photograph — Dried red chilli pods, representative of King Chilli (representative photograph). Source image unavailable; caption preserved.
Wikimedia Commons ↗
Spices, Aromatics & Dried Foods · Nagaland, Assam, Manipur
Naga Mircha / Bhut Jolokia (King Chilli)
One of the world's hottest chillies, once listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, grown across the hill villages of Nagaland, Manipur and Upper Assam and traditionally dried, smoked or pickled for year-round use.
GI status: GI-registered (Naga King Chilli), 2008
Shelf life: 6–9 months fresh-dried; 2+ years as powder or in oil/pickle
Women-led sector
| Category | Spices, Aromatics & Dried Foods |
|---|---|
| Region | Nagaland, Assam, Manipur |
| GI status | GI-registered (Naga King Chilli), 2008 |
| Typical shelf life | 6–9 months fresh-dried; 2+ years as powder or in oil/pickle |
| Women's role in production | Cultivated on jhum (shifting) plots and kitchen gardens that Naga women traditionally manage, harvested and strung into hanging dried garlands by women for household and cooperative sale. |
Why this fits a low-wastage SHG model: Converting the fresh chilli — highly perishable — into dried pods, powder or chilli oil at village level is exactly the kind of shelf-stabilising processing step that protects an SHG's margin.
Related products
Photograph — Saffron crocus (Crocus sativus) in flower (representative photograph). Source image unavailable; caption preserved.
Wikimedia Commons
Spices, Aromatics & Dried Foods
Kashmir Saffron (Kesar)
Jammu & Kashmir — Pampore, Kishtwar
Photograph — Dried red chilli pods (representative photograph). Source image unavailable; caption preserved.
Wikimedia Commons
Spices, Aromatics & Dried Foods
Guntur Sannam Chilli
Andhra Pradesh — Guntur
Photograph — Red chilli pods (representative photograph). Source image unavailable; caption preserved.
Wikimedia Commons
Spices, Aromatics & Dried Foods