Aizawl: Mizoram govt will allocate Rs 150 crore for the purchase of selected crops — ginger, chilli, broomstick, turmeric, and un-husked paddy — during the 2026-27 financial year, state agriculture & farmers’ welfare minister PC Vanlalruata informed the legislature on Wednesday.Replying to a question from Congress MLA C Ngunlianchunga, Vanlalruata said the allocation will be made to the agriculture & farmers’ welfare department. He said while the govt’s role is primarily to provide price support to farmers, it had engaged in buying ginger last year due to extremely low market prices, incurring heavy expenditure. The minister said procurement of ginger by the Mizoram agriculture marketing board failed to take off on Feb 2 as planned, after prospective buyers rejected the floor price.
“Initially, the floor price was fixed between Rs 40 and Rs 45 after studying ginger rates at mandis in Delhi and Siliguri. Buyers refused to accept the rates and demanded lower prices. Even after revising the floor price to Rs 30-35, they again sought further reductions,” Vanlalruata said. He added that four SCCs are currently selling ginger at the fixed floor price.Emphasising the quality of Mizoram’s ginger, Vanlalruata recalled that NITI Aayog had declared the state the ‘Ginger Capital of India’. He said farmers are being educated not to succumb to pressure from outside buyers and to value their produce.He further informed that the govt has stopped exporting ginger to Bangladesh this year due to political instability in the neighbouring country.
