Shakti Sudha Industry, a Patna-based venture that launched online supply of gorgon nut ( makhana), has now reached the international market.

Six months after the company launched its e-commerce venture for the nut mainly produced in Bihar, international orders have started to flow in and the company started its international operations' six days back.

A gentleman named Samir Hoon, who lives at 37 Mount Sinai Rise, 10-02, in Singapore, was the first person from abroad to place an order for gorgon nut.

He paid $31.36 (which comes to around Rs 1967.37) for a kg of gorgon nut.

Speaking to The Telegraph on Wednesday, Shakti Sudha Industries CEO Satyajit Kumar Singh called it a proud moment for himself and the state.

"We started this e-commerce venture in August last year. The domestic operation was going on strong and we were trying to begin our international operations," Satyajit Singh said.

Elaborating on that, he said: "There were some logistic issues we were dealing with which led to some delay. However, we have had many queries from abroad since our launch last year. Finally, our international operations commenced on March 5 and the first order we received was from Singapore. We have dispatched orders to seven places round the world, namely Singapore, South Korea, Muscat, New Jersey (US), London, Jakarta (Indonesia) and Nepal. It is a good start and we hope this will continue."

Those willing to buy the different gorgun nut products have to log on to www.gorgonnut.com and choose and place an order for the product online.

"Now, we are able to take orders from at least 220 countries. Our website has a slot called 'Choose your shipping country' which lists all countries where we can deliver. We have been successful in streamlining the delivery system. It is done with the help of companies like FedEx and DHL," Satyajit said.

The company has bigger plans ahead to ensure the gorgon nut finds a place for itself on the international market.

The company next plans to launch a major advertising campaign on social networking site Facebook to ensure information about the nut reaches far and wide.

"The company has decided to start an advertising campaign on the social network in a bid to tap as many people as we can. We believe that through Facebook we will be able to connect to many more countries and people, Satyajit said. The product already has a presence on the social media website. Satyajit said: "We already have a Facebook account called Shakti Sudha Gorgon Nut, which is becoming popular, and we are planning some major advertising campaigns there."

There are more ambitious plans to carve a niche for the product.

The company plans to participate in the 2015 INC World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress - scheduled from May 22 to 24 at Antalya in Turkey - to make the nut known globally.

"We believe this conference will be good for us and give this product much-needed space and recognition. We have a slot to help present the nut to the world in a proper manner. Also, we will register the nut with the Foundation of the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council. We believe both Bihar and the nut will become popular," Satyajit said.

Bihar produces around 15,000 tonnes of gorgon nut annually. The nut, which grows in ponds and wetlands, has high nutritional value.

These edible, white seeds can be roasted or fried. They are high on anti-oxidants and prevent accumulation of toxins in the body.

It is highly beneficial for people suffering from hypertension, diabetes, high blood pressure etc.

As far as domestic operations are concerned, the company's e-commerce venture has already reached over 83 cities in the country.

"We have reached over 2,000 customers across India in the first six months. On an average, we are dispatching around 15 to 20 orders domestically each day. As stated earlier, we plan to expand."

At a later stage, products made from gorgon nut, like kheer, flour, corn flakes, health food and drinks etc, will also be available online. But for now, we want to focus on developing our international operations. The idea is to make the nut from Bihar famous throughout the world," Satyajit said.

In fact, at present, around 50 products made from the nut are available online.