Mizoram: Areca nut farmers in Mamit reap Rs 50 crore as smuggling drops

Aizawl: Areca nut farmers in north-western Mizoram's Mamit district are happy as they reaped a good harvest due to an increase in prices following the drop in areca nut smuggling from Myanmar.

Victor MS Dawngliana, the general secretary of Hachhek Bial Kuhva Chingtu Pawl (HBKCP), an association representing areca nut growers in the Hachhek area in Mamit district bordering Tripura and Bangladesh, said that farmers from the area have so far harvested fresh areca nuts worth about Rs 50 crore this year, and the prices are high as compared to previous years.

He said that about 30 out of around 32 villages in the Hachhek area grow areca nuts, and the present harvest season will continue until April next year.

He said that they were able to sell locally produced areca nuts at reasonable prices due to a drop in areca nut smuggling from Myanmar.

Areca nuts are now sold at Rs 2,500–Rs 3,000 per bag against Rs 1,200–Rs 1,500 per bag when areca nut smuggling was rampant, he said.

Dawngliana said that areca nuts were purchased by traders mainly from neighbouring Assam, while some traders also came from Tripura to buy their products.

He said that the association used to make proper market arrangements since the areca nut trees started showing buds.

They have also approached the Assam government several times for the areca nut trade, he said.

According to Dawngliana, the HBKCP will organise an areca nut festival on December 8 to celebrate the harvest.

The event will be held at Rengdil village, during which various sporting events will be held, he said.

Rengdil village, where the proposed festival will be held, alone has sold areca nuts worth about Rs 10 crore this year. About 380 families grow areca nuts in the village.

Areca nuts are grown in different parts of Mizoram, particularly in the Mamit district and Kolasib district, which share a border with Assam.

The areca nut plantation began in the Hachhek area in 1950.

Two areca nut processing units are being set up at Mamit and Kolasib districts by the state government, according to officials.

Earlier, home department officials said that drug and areca nut smuggling from Myanmar has significantly dropped due to enhanced security measures along the Indo-Myanmar border.

Mizoram shares a 510-km-long border with Myanmar, and the Assam Rifles is guarding the international border.