Tezpur Litchi: Assam's Century-Old Treasure Now Conquering Global Markets
With increasing interest from the United Kingdom and other markets, Tezpur Litchi continues to strengthen its reputation as a premium Indian fruit globally.
Published : May 30, 2025 at 7:53 PM IST
By Pranab Kumar Das
‘Tezpur Litchi’, a local treasure from Assam, is now making global waves with its popularity in many countries. The juicy fruit will begin this year’s export journey for Assam as it is being shipped to London this weekend.
The litchi represents the North East region’s agricultural richness and connects it to the global markets for its juicy, sweet flesh and small seed.
One of the popular ones is Paltan Pukhuri, or ‘Lichu Pokhuri’, which is about 100 years old and was planted by the first president of the Assam Sahitya Sabha and the first chairman of Tezpur Municipality, Padmanath Gohani Baruah. Other popular varieties of litchi are grown in Porua and Na-Pam, and litchi is also exported from these places.
Assam’s favourable climate and fertile loamy soil contribute to the fruit’s exceptional taste and quality. The region produces several litchi varieties, including Bombaiya, Bilati, and Ilachi Shahi, each known for its unique taste. The price of each litchi ranges from Rs 10 to Rs 25 and increases to Rs 100 in some places.
In 2015, ‘Tezpur Litchi’ was awarded a Geographical Indicator (GI) tag to certify its unique origin and distinguish it from other varieties. It also eased its international journey and exports, which got a boost this year due to a continuing effort to promote India’s GI-tagged products internationally.
With increasing interest from the United Kingdom and other markets, Tezpur litchi continues to strengthen its reputation as a premium Indian fruit on the world stage.
Exports and economic impact
In June 2022, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma flagged off the litchi shipment to London during a cabinet meeting at the Tezpur Convention Centre. This export facility was facilitated by Agnigarh Agricultural Producers Company in collaboration with Kiega AXIMS and by Assam Agricultural University (AAU), Tezpur University, NABARD, and the district administration.
The initiative aimed at enhancing the economic conditions of small and marginal farmers in the region by providing access to international markets.
Farmers speak
Amrit Ghosh, who runs the litchi plantation at Paltan Pokhuri, said that in 2024, the litchi would have to face a lot of deficits, and that is due to natural reasons.
“Litchi crops faced heavy damage in 2024 due to heavy hail, and we had to protect the yield from birds, monkeys, and crabs,” he said. “Eight people had to guard the area to protect it from animals and thieves at night,” he said.
Ghosh said that this year the production was good, and from Paltan Pukhuri, 1500 pieces of litchis will be sent to London on Saturday. “We are taking this on a trial basis. Last year, Paltan Pukhuri litchis were exported to Switzerland, Australia and Dubai,” he added.
Kalp Jyoti Nath, another farmer, said people come from different places and buy the litchis. “Litchi trees are very old; many of them are over 150 years old. There are trees at least 70 years old among the youngest,” he said.
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