Mizoram aims for new identity through rubber mission following ginger success

Aizawl: Efforts are underway to transform Mizoram into a major rubber-producing state, Chief Minister Lalduhoma said on Thursday.

Addressing a training on scientific rubber cultivation, harvesting techniques, post-harvest handling, and pest management for rubber growers here in Aizawl, Lalduhoma said his government launched the Chief Minister's Rubber Mission in 2024 with the objective of transforming the state into a major rubber-producing hub.

The mission was formulated after detailed consultations with the Rubber Board of India and by assessing the Tripura Rubber Mission to ensure a well-planned and systematic approach, he said.

He claimed that the progress achieved under the CM's Rubber Mission has surpassed initial expectations, largely due to the enthusiastic response from farmers willing to take up rubber cultivation, which he described as highly encouraging.

Although Mizoram attained Union Territory status more than fifty years ago, and despite the people’s hard work, the state did not have a crop that could distinctly establish its identity, he said.

However, within a short period after the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) government assumed office and implemented focused policies, Mizoram was declared the Ginger Capital of India, he added.

The NITI Aayog recently declared Mizoram as the “Ginger Capital of India.”

The first-time Chief Minister also said that passion fruit, locally called 'Sapthei', is one of the most promising crops of the state and has strong potential.

Rubber is also one of the most promising crops through which Mizoram can establish a strong identity, he added.

The training programme is being conducted with experts from the Rubber Board of India and Servo Lubricants (IOCL), who will train around 550 rubber growers on scientific cultivation practices, tapping techniques, processing of rubber sheets, post-harvest handling, and pest management.

According to officials, Mizoram has approximately 50,000 hectares of land suitable for rubber cultivation, and the state government prioritizes the crop as it carries environmental and economic advantages, including afforestation, water conservation, good market value, and timber.

The Chief Minister’s Rubber Mission was launched on 18 October 2024, with the state's Land Resources, Soil and Water Conservation Department beginning its implementation in early 2025.

Officials said that about 4.5 lakh rubber saplings have been planted across over 1,000 hectares of land in north-western Mizoram’s Mamit district, bordering Tripura and Bangladesh, and Kolasib district, which shares a border with Assam.

The Land Resources, Soil and Water Conservation Department is also planning to plant over 11.58 lakh rubber saplings across 2,575 hectares of land in various districts in the current year, they added.

Infrastructure support under the mission will include the construction of approach roads to plantations, provision of rubber roller machines and tapping tools, and facilitation of marketing arrangements, officials said.

During the current year, approach or link roads measuring 46.50 kilometres are being planned for rubber plantations in eleven locations across the state, officials added.