The rise of the ‘wild’ Arunachal kiwi

Twenty years ago, the kiwis that grew wild in Arunachal Pradesh’s Ziro Valley barely caught anyone’s attention. However, in the last decade, farmers slowly recognised the commercial value of the fruit. The kiwis of the region are the only certified organic fruit of their kind in the country.

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Key-Points

Arunachal is first in the country to obtain Organic Certification for Kiwi under Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD-NER).

The organic certification was provided by the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD-NER), a scheme for the northeastern states by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare under the Central government.

Kiwis of Ziro Valley — located in Lower Subansiri district — were certified as organic following a standard three-year-process.

An agricultural practice/product is considered organic when there are no chemical fertilisers or pesticides involved in its cultivation process.

Such certifications in India can be obtained after strict scientific assessment done by the regulatory body, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).