Aizawl: Mizoram Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister PC Vanlalruata has informed the Mizoram Assembly that the state government will earmark Rs 150 crore in the 2026–27 budget to procure five major crops under its flagship support price initiative aimed at protecting farmers’ incomes.
The Agriculture Minister said the government has decided to continue purchasing locally grown ginger, chilli, dry broomsticks, turmeric and paddy in the next financial year to ensure stable returns for cultivators.
He announced that procurement of ginger and other selected crops for the current season began on February 2. He said the initiative aims to protect farmers from fluctuating market prices and ensure they get a fair price for their crops.
“Our objective is to help farmers secure remunerative prices. We hope they can sell ginger at more than Rs 50 per kg,” Vanlalruata said. He added that if market prices fall below Rs 50 per kg, the government will bridge the gap by providing a support price so that growers effectively receive Rs 50 per kg.
However, the minister acknowledged the financial burden of the scheme. He had informed the House last week that the state incurred a loss of Rs 128.38 crore in ginger procurement during the 2024–25 financial year. While Rs 141.16 crore was disbursed to ginger farmers as support price, only Rs 12.78 crore has so far been recovered from the sale of the procured ginger.
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The crop procurement programme forms a key part of the pre-poll commitments of the Zoram People’s Movement government led by Lalduhoma.
Under the scheme, the state continues to purchase five identified crops grown by local farmers through a structured support price mechanism aimed at strengthening the rural economy.
