Bosky Khanna By Express News Service BENGALURU: Nati (desi or local) coriander is no longer the flavour of south Indian kitchens alone but has tickled the taste buds of those in other states. For the first time, Kempegowda International Airport made a record of sending 5,620 tonnes of fresh coriander leaves between July and September 2019. Last year during this time, around 3,700 tonnes was sent. “There has been a 70% increase is transportation compared to last year. While the supply has been to 13 Indian states, including Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, the maximum has been to Delhi 29 26,886 kg) and Kolkata (12,18,673 kg). Fresh coriander leaves have also been supplied to Sri Lanka,” said the spokesperson from the international airport. The spokesperson said that it was not the first time where record supplies were sent. It is seasonal. During summer a lot of mango consignments are sent, similarly in February it is roses. Some time back large consignments of pomegranate fruits and juices were sent. However, the demand for nati coriander has caught the attention of traders and Horticultural Producers’ Cooperative Marketing and Processing Society (Hopcom) officials. “The nati variety grown in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and the bordering areas is very good. This is what has caught the attention of those in other states. Rajasthan and Gujarat are nearest to Delhi, but the leaf variety which is grown there is different. The leaves are slightly bigger and are not dark green. They are light green and whitish in colour. The leaves are not very tasty,” said S Shambudev from Nandadeep Trading Corporation. The traders said that since the areas where coriander is grown in abundance (Doddaballapur, Chikkaballapur, Andhra borders) are near the international airport, Kempegowda airport becomes the ideal spot. Hopcoms Managing Director B N Prasad said this was the first time such a large quantity was being sent to other states and countries. KIA to expand self bag drop facility to more airlines Spurred by the encouraging response to the self bag drop facility launched almost a year ago at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), the airport operator is now planning to extend this to other airlines in the future. At present, it is optional in only two airlines — Air Asia and Spice Jet. The automated check-in facility was launched on November 15 last year to reduce queues at check-in counters. An average of 2,500 passengers use it every day. Bengaluru airport was the first in India to launch automated bag drop off facility on such a large scale.

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