Mizoram has become one of India’s largest arecanut-producing states, with the crop now covering about 67,380 hectares, the state government said. The figure was highlighted at a training‑cum‑seminar on scientific arecanut cultivation and pest management held at Vanapa Hall in Aizawl on Thursday, where Chief Minister Lalduhoma inaugurated the programme.
The state is estimated to have produced around 512,000 quintals of arecanut during 2025‑26, underscoring the crop’s growing importance to Mizoram’s agricultural economy.
Since 2019, arecanut has been managed under the Department of Land Resources and Soil & Water Conservation. The government has supported growers through schemes such as the Bana Kaih Handholding Scheme and the Chief Minister’s Special Package.
With a large area under cultivation, the government is now concentrating on improving productivity and making plantation farming more scientific. Farmers have identified the need for better access to pesticides, fertilisers, irrigation, pipes and roads connecting plantations to markets.
To address infrastructure gaps, the government has secured ₹27.66 crore through NABARD and the Special Assistance for Capital Investment (SASCI) for plantation link roads. About 170 km of roads are planned to improve access to plantations growing arecanut, rubber and coffee.
Mizoram is also exploring arecanut‑cocoa intercropping, with the ICAR‑Central Plantation Crops Research Institute working with the state department on introducing cocoa alongside arecanut. The state is examining the potential of plantation crops for carbon financing and carbon credits, as arecanut, rubber and coffee plantations can absorb and store carbon dioxide.
