South India ready with its own Shahi Litchi in winter

Shahi Litchi will now be grown in South India and will be available in Winter.

Muzaffarpur:Shahi litchi, the luscious fruit of Bihar, is now readying to get a new home in South India. What's even better, the litchi from the South will be available in winter.

Vishal Nath, director of the National Litchi Research Institute told IANS: "Litchi produce will now be grown in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. We've been preparing for this for the past seven years. In 2012-13, we had sent thousands of litchi saplings to these areas. Now, these saplings have become trees that are ready to bear fruits."

Nath said one ripe litchi from these trees is likely to weigh around 40 gram.

He said he had in August done a survey of the areas under litchi cultivation in South India. "A team from the institute will soon visit these areas again to understand the problems of the growers," he said.

Litchi cultivation has been started in Wayanad, Idukki and Kalpeta in Kerala, Kodagu, Chikmagalur and Hassan in Karnataka, and Palani Hills and Ooty in Tamil Nadu after training fruit growers in these areas.

According to Nath, the weather in these areas is ideal for readying the produce in the winter months of November and December.

Especially famous for its sweet flavour and fragrance, Bihar's Shahi litchi is a brand in itself with a GI tag of its own.