Crackdown on smuggling drives surge in areca nut prices in Mizoram: CM

Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on December 8 attributed the steep rise in areca nut prices in 2025 to the state’s successful crackdown on smuggling from Myanmar. 

Speaking at an areca nut festival in Rengtei, Mamit district, he said coordinated action by police, district officials and civil society groups since his government took office in December 2023 had shown clear results.

“Mizoram witnessed its most profitable year in terms of areca nut prices. Our police, magistrates and NGOs will be very happy to know the outcome of their hard work,” the chief minister said. Areca nut was cultivated across about 30,000 hectares last year, yielding nearly 2 lakh quintals, he added. Although the figures for the current harvest season are yet to be finalised, the returns are expected to be strong.

Lalduhoma said the state government has prioritised expanding areca nut plantation as market linkages improve. He stressed that the crop contributes significantly to the state’s economy and would continue to gain importance if smuggling remains under check. The administration has also encouraged plantation expansion as crop yields have improved.

To support growers, the chief minister said areca nut cultivation is eligible under both state loans and the special package introduced under the flagship Handholding Scheme. The state has also set up an areca nut processing plant in Buhchangphai in Kolasib district, near the Assam border, aimed at boosting marketability and improving farmers’ income. The unit is expected to be operational soon.

Two additional processing centres are being developed at Zawmang in Mamit and Chempai in Kolasib at a combined cost of ₹7.43 crore under North Eastern Council funding. The government will also construct 170 km of link roads in different districts to connect plantation belts, rubber areas and broomstick cultivation zones, the CM said.

Mizoram has further received ₹7.26 crore from NABARD, and the state has submitted proposals to the States for Capital Investment (SACI) scheme seeking more project funds. Officials reported that areca nuts from parts of Mamit bordering Tripura and Bangladesh are currently selling at over ₹50 per litre in the ongoing harvest season.