Brinjal pickles, a very popular pickle in the local market here and prepared by women of a self help group in Falakata in the district are all set to tingle the taste buds of people in the neighbouring country of Bhutan.

Maha Maya, the self help group of a bunch of 20 self employed housewives, all residents of Raichanga village situated under the Falakata block in the district, started producing the brinjal pickles two years ago.

The pickle, which took the local market by storm, is now ready to be exported to Bhutan from this financial year through a Cooch Behar based trader, it is learnt. “The Brinjal pickle, which is a completely new type of pickle to many of us, has become very popular in the local market these days.

We have been selling it in all the ‘Sufal Bangla Stalls’ in Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar. Moreover, Bhutan will also start importing the pickle this year. A Cooch Beharbased trader is exporting the same,” Secretary of the Alipurduar District Regulated Market Committee, Pijush Kanti Dey, said. The Alipurduar District Regulated Market Committee is an apex body of the state government in the district that controls marketing.

The self-help group is producing the pickle by using a species of Eggplant small in shape and size. The Eggplant is locally called ‘Sol-te begun’ in Bengali. The pickle is being sold for Rs 100 120 per kilogram (wholesale price). The pickle is bottled in 250gm-1kg containers, it is learnt.

The head of the Self Help Group, Sabitri Adhikary said, “We have attended trainings on preparing taste enhancers in Hooghly district in 2015. We were taught to prepare several other kinds of pickles, jams and jellies.

We use brinjals that are small in size in making the pickle because they have a harder flesh than that of the bigger ones. The pickle is very popular in the local market. We have heard that it has made its way to Bhutan too. We are very happy with the development.” “We thank the Regulated Market Committee because of their support and guidance which helped us reach this pillar of success” added Ms Adhikary.