The first consignment of GI-tagged Tezpur litchi to Dubai is more than just an export consignment from Assam—it has opened the window for global buyers to explore orchards of organically grown diverse fruits and other agricultural and horticultural products in the entire northeast region. By facilitating the export consignment of Tezpur Litchi, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has signalled that the region’s food products are now globally shelf-ready. The World Bank group highlighted at the South Asian Policy Leadership for Improved Nutrition and Growth (SAPLING) dialogue held in Ahmedabad that transforming food systems beyond the farm can unlock significant opportunities for employment, investment, economic growth, and poverty reduction in the South Asia region. Apart from the global market potential, the deliberations at the dialogue have offered a cue on what must come next to consolidate and expand the gains from the global debut of GI-tagged Tezpur Litchi, which has a century-old legacy. APEDA attributes the popularity of Tezpur Litchi to its exceptional sweetness, bright-red appearance, distinctive aroma and superior eating quality. Given that the shelf life of lychees is only 3-4 days from the date of harvest, the export of lychees from orchards in Tezpur to Dubai marks an extraordinary milestone. While the GI tag helped widen its appeal in the global markets, retaining the freshness continues to be a huge logistical and scientific challenge and crucial for sustaining the export market. An APEDA report on improving the shelf life of fresh litchi pointed out a major issue – because litchis spoil quickly, shipping them in large amounts by sea to faraway countries is difficult, and sending them by air means only small amounts can be exported. This year’s Tezpur Litchi Festival witnessed the display and sale of a range of innovative food products processed from litchi, such as litchi biscuits, ice creams, shakes, honey and chips. This demonstrated the huge potential of putting more products with longer shelf lives in the litchi export basket from Assam. Experts, while speaking at the SAPLING dialogue, emphasised that the next phase of agricultural transformation lies not merely in increasing production but in expanding food processing, storage, logistics, marketing, and value addition and pointed out that these activities can create millions of productive jobs while reducing food losses and increasing farmers’ incomes. The domestic demand for Tezpur litchi is also growing exponentially, and boosting production is essential to bridge the demand-supply gap. Strengthening the processed food-value chain will be essential to prevent post-harvest losses. A report titled “Assessment of the Level of Food Processing in India”, commissioned by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries and released at the SAPLING dialogue, brought to light that significant progress has been made in India’s food processing sector, with overall processing levels increasing from around 10% in 2016 to nearly 17% in 2023. An official report from the Press Information Bureau says the study also finds many chances to add value to perishable goods like fruits, vegetables, and dairy, and it suggests ways to improve infrastructure, cut down on post-harvest losses, increase farmer incomes, and make India more competitive in the global food market. This study can be a ready reckoner for government and private stakeholders in food production and processing in the region to draw the roadmap for optimising the commercial value of various food products, including GI-tagged agricultural and horticultural products. While exports fetch the grower higher prices than the domestic market, geopolitical and economic challenges causing disruptions in export markets, which are often unpredictable, must not be ignored even while focusing on boosting export volume. The pragmatic strategy, therefore, is to adopt a balanced approach that maximises both export and domestic markets. Prioritising processed markets is essential to increase the domestic consumer base while eyeing the global shelves and ensuring higher returns for growers by reducing post-harvest losses. However, the region’s lack of logistical infrastructure and the necessary cold chain to tap into both domestic and export markets for fresh fruits and vegetables represents a critical gap that must be urgently addressed to sustain the optimism generated by Tezpur litchis reaching markets in Dubai. Even most fruits and vegetables traditionally grown by the farmers in the region are organic by default; lack of adequate organic certification continues to pose a major barrier for transforming the potential into a high-value market opportunity. Addressing these gaps urgently is crucial to sustain the euphoria among growers and exporters of Tezpur Litchi. Assam and neighbouring states are on the cusp of a major agri-horticultural transformation. As the region has drawn significant investment in various sectors, the export of Tezpur Litchi has become a symbol of hope for the long-awaited economic change driven by agriculture and horticulture, thanks to ongoing teamwork between growers, government agencies, and marketers.