New Delhi, Aug 3 (PTI) The consignments of fiber and mineral-rich 'dragon fruit' or Kamalam sourced from farmers of Gujarat and West Bengal, have been exported for the first time to London and Bahrain, the commerce ministry said on Tuesday.

It said that the consignment exported to London was sourced from farmers of the Kutch region of Gujarat, while the consignment to Bahrain was sourced from the farmers of West Midnapore (West Bengal).

There are three main varieties of dragon fruit - white flesh with pink skin, red flesh with pink skin, and white flesh with yellow skin.

The fruit is grown mostly in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. West Bengal is new to taking up cultivation of this exotic fruit.

The main countries which produce the fruit include Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, the USA, and Vietnam and these nations are the major competitors for India.

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