Joynagarer Moa goes global, to be exported for the first time

Kolkata: In a first, Bengal’s famed Joynagarer Moa will be exported with the first batch being shipped to Bahrain, an official said.

Moa, a quintessential winter delicacy, gets its name from the area where it is made — Joynagar in the South 24 Parganas district, around 50 km from Kolkata.

The sweet is made from date palm jaggery and kankachur khoi — a rare variety of puffed rice, along with milk solids.
It received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2015.

“A trial shipment of 45 kg Of Joynagarer Moa along with 105 kg of palmyra jaggery from DM Enterprise has been stored at the central perishable center of the Kolkata airport. It will take an early morning Emirates flight on Wednesday for the destination,” Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority’s Kolkata region head Sandeep Saha said.

The consignment will reach Bahrain on Wednesday evening. The value of the consignment is around Rs 45,000. The shelf-life of the Moa is five-seven days,” Joynagarer Moa Nirmankari Society secretary Ashok Kumar Kayal said.

He said if the consignment is successfully delivered, then exports will be made to Italy and Canada.

Larger quantities of exports would be possible if the much-awaited modern packaging infrastructure, which is facing an inordinate delay, is complete, Kayal said.