THE 10th HATHEI PHANIT (CHILLI FESTIVAL) KICKS OFF Imphal Aug 22:The 10th Hathei Phanit ( Chilli Festival) begins today at Sirarakhong Village, Ukhrul District. The Festival was inaugurated by Shri Joseph Pauline Kamson,IAS, DC Ukhrul as Chief Guest.
Delivering a speech, the Chief Guest spoke about the uniqueness and the commercial value of the chilli. He said that the village is very special because no other in the state can claim that they are producing the same variety and it can be said that this chilli is the copyright of the village same as the lemon of Kachai village and the oranges of Tamenglong. The village is very blessed to have such an unique product grown in the land. It can be taken as blessing from an Almighty God. He further states that the chilli is not only pleasing to look at, it also have lots of nutritional value as studied by experts. He also encourage the chilli farmers to expand their products on large commercial scale because the village is blessed with pleasant weather, abundant water and fertile soil which is favourable for hard work. Sirarakhong chilli. As per the research of the state’s Horticulture department, the Sirarakhong chilli has high calcium and vitamin C along with many anti-oxidant properties. This chilli is highly in demand for preparing non-vegetarian dishes mostly as the flavour and aroma of the chilli adds a special quality to the dish.
Shri N.Premananda Singh, Mission Director,MIDH who attended the function as Guest of Honour said that the Sirarakhong Chilli is known internationally with its own GI tagging from the Government of India. He states that the Horticulture Department has been working along with the farmers, it is to be noted that this particular chilli has high contents of calcium, its structure is also different from other species of chillis.
Tenshubam Sangeeta, APO(Press), DIPR who also attended the function as Guest of Honour highlights about the activities of DIPR. DIPR has been taking serious and important role to make public aware of the Governmental schemes and projects and at the same time public feedbacks are also sent to the Government , so this directorate is playing an important role in achieving good governance in the state.
It is worth to mention that around 20 stalls belonging to Self Help Groups showcase their products including handloom and handicraft.And as a part of the inaugural function, cultural dance was also performed by the youths of the village
The three-day long chilli festival showcases several varieties of the chilli product right from the dried and fresh chillis, chilli pickles, chilli powder and so on. A kg of this fresh chilli cost Rs. 50 and Rs. 500 based on the type of the product.
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