Mizoram areca nut farmers get remunerative prices as smuggling from Myanmar decreases

Aizawl, Nov 23 (PTI) Areca nut farmers in Mizoram's Mamit district got remunerative prices for their produce this year as the smuggling of the commodity from Myanmar decreased substantially, an official said on Sunday.

Victor MS Dawngliana, the general secretary of Hachhek Bial Kuhva Chingtu Pawl (HBKCP), an association representing areca nut growers in Hachhek area, said local farmers have "reaped areca nuts worth about Rs 50 crore this year as the prices are high as compared to previous years".

About 30 of around 32 villages in Hachhek area grow areca nuts, and the present harvest season will continue till April next year.

"Farmers were able to sell locally produced areca nuts at reasonable prices due to a drop in smuggling from Myanmar. Areca nuts are now sold at Rs 2,500-3,000 per bag against Rs 1,200- 1,500 when areca nut smuggling was rampant," he said.

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

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

The programme 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, the association said.

About 380 families grow areca nuts in the village.

Areca nuts are grown in different parts of Mizoram, particularly in Mamit district bordering Tripura and Bangladesh, and Kolsib, which shares a boundary with Assam.

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

Two processing units are being set up in 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 India-Myanmar border.

Mizoram shares a 510-km-long border with Myanmar, and the Assam Rifles are guarding the international border. PTI CORR BDC