Agriculture is the mainstay of the people of Mizoram. More than 70% of the total population is engaged in Agriculture. The age  old  practice of Jhum cultivation is carried out annually by a large number of people living in rural areas. The climatic condition in the state with well distributed rainfall of 1900mm to 3000mm spread over eight to ten months in the year and location in tropic and temperate zone with various soil types have contributed to the occurrence of a wide spectrum of rich and varied flora and fauna. These natural features and resources also offer opportunities for growing a variety of horticultural crops.

Organic varieties:

Use of fertilizer and pesticides in agriculture and horticulture fields in Mizoram is almost non-existing. As such, all agri-horticulture output of Mizoram are organic produces of very high-value in national and international market. Out of the cultivable area, potential area for horticultural activities is found to be 6.31 lakh hectares, which consist of gentle to moderate slope. Out of this potential area, the area under Horticulture crops during 1998 to 1999 as recorded is about 46,000 hectares which is only 7.29% of potential area for horticulture. Therefore, the scope and potential for expanding the activities of horticulture is enormous. The crops mentioned below have tremendous potentials for marketing outside the State.

Fruit Crops :   Fruits like Mandarin Orange, Passion Fruit, Pineapple, Hatkora, Banana and Papaya

Vegetables Crops :         Tomato, Brinjal, Bean, Pea and Iskut (Chow Chow).

Spices Crops :   Bird’s eye chillies, Garlic, Ginger, turmeric, Black Pepper,Cardamom and Betelvine.

Root & Tuber Crops :   Potato, Sweet Potato and Colocasia.

Plantation Crops :         Tung, Coffee, Coconut and Arecanut.

I.        Agencies which deal with horticulture produces and processing are :

­        Department of Trade and Commerce, Government of Mizoram.

­        The Mizoram Agriculture Marketing Corporation Ltd. (MAMCO), Government of Mizoram undertaking.

­        The Mizoram food and Allied Industries Corporation Ltd. (MIFCO) Government of Mizoram undertaking.

­        Khadi and village Industries (KVI) Boards,  Government of Mizoram.

­        NGO eg. Mizoram Hmeithai Association (MHA), Mizoram Iskut Growers Association, Zo International etc.

  POTENTIAL AGRO-HORTI PRODUCES :

  SESAME:      Sesamum (Chhawhchhi) is one of the most important edible oil seeds cultivated in Mizoram. It is grown as mixed crops in Jhum land. The prospect for it’s cultivation has vast potential in Mizoram. The total area and production of Sesamum in Mizoram since last two years are as follows.

  Sesamum is usually rich in oil (50%) and protein (18-20%). A 100gm of seed provide 592 calories. Sesamum produced in Mizoram are mainly marketed to Assam. Traders use to collect the produce from farmers and carry to nearby market i.e. at Karimganj or Silchar. Trader purchase the Sesamum from farmers @ Rs.15/- to Rs.18/- per Kg.

  A Sesamum is a short-gestation crop. The quantity of the production can be increased or decreased according to demand

  COTTON : Cotton is the most important fibre crop cultivated in Mizoram. It is sown as mixed crop in Jhum land. It is grown mainly in the Western belt of Mizoram. There is vast potential for cultivation of cotton in Mizoram.

  The total area and production of Cotton in Mizoram during the last two years are indicated below :

  At present the utilisation of cotton in Mizoram is concentrated only for making of quilts, pillows, cushions etc as there is no cottage industry for other purposes like making threads etc. The approximate cost of cotton in Mizoram is Rs.50.00 per Kg.

  TUNG: Tung (Aleurites Montana) is seen all over Mizoram. Tung is generally grown in homestead and garden lands in a scattered manner. Sometimes, it is grown in jhum lands in compact blocks having 275 plants per ha.

  The tung oil is used largely in paint industry and is considered as the best of the available oils in India. At present, castor, linseed and other oils are generally used in the paint industry and Tung oil could easily replace the other oils used by the industry. Thus, there will be no difficulty in marketing tung oil. At present, there are two Tung oil extraction units near Aizawl. The oilcakes can be used as fertiliser for the fields. Tung oil is marketed at the rate of Rs.40 per kg ex-factory.

  Tung oil is chiefly imported from China. Given the right technology, tung oil extraction in Mizoram can be very profitable as an item of import-substitution.

  There is an immense scope for tung cultivation in Mizoram.

  ORCHIDS:  Mizoram has a wide spectrum of orchids growing from the lower elevations to the high hills. The Orchids grown in the high hills fetch a good price in the market at Delhi and Calcutta. More than 200 varieties of Orchids have been identified in Mizoram till now. In view of the right agro-climatic conditions prevailing in Mizoram, there is an immense potential growing Orchids for large scale commercial purposes.

  COFFEE: The climatic conditions of the mid-hill ranges of Mizoram with high rainfall and sufficient warmth almost throughout the year coupled with fertile, well drained, mildly acidic soil have been found to be congenial for successful cultivation of coffee.  Coffee plantation can play an important role in the state of Mizoram.  A very low gestation period of two years and the simple onfarm processing of the produce are the favourable factors for large scale cultivation in the State.  In addition, coffee crop favourably combines in the field with other economic crops like black pepper, mandarin orange, jack, etc., and good sustained income from these crops also can be got without affecting the performance of coffee.  Since coffee based cropping system promises higher economic return for the farmers on a permanent basis, the Government of Mizoram has been proposed to establish coffee plantations in an area of 10,000 hectares over a period of 10 years.

  TEA: The tea produced in Mizoram has a distinct touch of quality and flavour similar to teas grown in high altitudes like the Nilgiris and Darjeeling. Biate has the largest area under tea, followed by Ngopa, Khawdungsei, NE Bualpui, Pawlrang, Thungvei.  The tea estates are managed by co-operatives.  The Government of Mizoram, Industries Department, has decided to concentrate only on Biate area for intensive cultivation and development of tea.

There is a scope of setting up a mini tea processing plant at Biate in collaboration with the local cooperatives. The total investment will be in the region of Rs. 150 lakhs. Land may be taken on long-term lease from the cooperatives.

BIRD-EYE CHILLY: Mizoram is famous for bird-eye chilly, which is a prized-item in spices market abroad. This is a short-gestation crops and the yield can be increased within a matter of a year or two.