Mizoram govt taking steps to wean farmers away from traditional jhum cultivation: CM

Aizawl, Sep 16 (PTI) Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Tuesday said that the state government is taking steps to wean farmers away from traditional slash and burn or jhum cultivation.

The chief minister was addressing a festival to mark the completion of clearing weeds in jhum lands, locally known as 'Lo Zawh', at his native village in Tualpui in east Mizoram's Khawzawl district.

He said that the government gives priority and respect to the farmers, and thanked them for their products..

"Although the practice of jhum cultivation can't be shunned abruptly, the government has been taking steps to wean farmers away from this traditional practice gradually," Lalduhoma said.

Jhum agriculture is a primitive, subsistence farming method where trees and other vegetation are felled and then burned to clear land for cultivation, with the ash providing temporary soil fertility. It is widely practised in Mizoram where farmers mainly grow rice and other cash crops, including chilli.

He said that the state government has also been taking measures to celebrate Lo Zawh as a tourist attraction.

The CM also announced that the Tualpui-Champhai road will be constructed under the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS), and it will accelerate economic growth of the region. PTI COR NN