Aizawl: Mizoram has become India’s fifth-largest areca nut-producing state, with plantations spread across around 67,380 hectares and production estimated at 5.12 lakh quintals in 2025-26, land resources, soil and water conservation minister Lalthansanga said on Friday.Addressing a training-cum-seminar on scientific areca nut cultivation and pest management in Lunglei district, the minister said increasing production alone was not enough. He stressed the need to improve crop quality, prices, marketing channels and farmers’ incomes. Lalthansanga said soil conservation, water management and sustainable land use were closely linked to agricultural productivity, adding that his department was making efforts to promote these practices.
