The Mizoram government has set a target to expand rubber plantations by 2,649 hectares across eight districts under the second phase of the Chief Minister’s Rubber Mission, aiming to make rubber cultivation a key driver of the state’s rural economy, Land Resources, Soil and Water Conservation Director Vanlalmuanpuia Chhangte said. Launched in 2024 as a five-year programme to bring 11,500 hectares under rubber, the mission’s second phase — which began this year — will cover 117 plantation clusters.
Chhangte told reporters that 2,580 beneficiaries have enrolled in the current phase and are expected to plant 11.92 lakh rubber saplings. To support growers, the government has introduced a four-year assistance package that includes free rubber saplings and replacement plants, annual supplies of fertilisers and plant-protection chemicals, fencing assistance and other incentives.
Financial aid will be released only after field verification of plantation work, Chhangte said, with payments transferred directly to beneficiaries’ bank accounts to ensure transparency and timely disbursal. The state also plans to procure 100 rubber processing units this year for distribution to farmers with mature plantations who currently lack local processing facilities.
According to the director, the mission envisages a third phase expected to launch in 2027, though targets for that phase are yet to be finalised. Mizoram has nearly 50,000 hectares of land suitable for rubber cultivation, he noted, but only about 7,000 hectares have been developed since rubber was introduced in 1982.
Officials frame the Chief Minister’s Rubber Mission as a sustainable alternative to shifting cultivation, arguing it will help reclaim wastelands, conserve soil and improve water management while strengthening rural incomes. Chhangte acknowledged that high initial establishment costs have previously slowed expansion and said the mission aims both to widen plantation coverage and to address challenges faced by existing growers, including better marketing networks for rubber products.
The first phase, launched in early 2025, covered 1,000 hectares in Mamit and Kolasib districts: 936 beneficiaries planted around 4.5 lakh rubber saplings, and the government set up 24 Rubber Plantation Clusters, each supported by a Rubber Producer Society to protect farmers’ interests and oversee implementation.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/mizoram/story/mizoram-targets-2649-hectares-of-new-rubber-plantations-under-phase-ii-of-cms-rubber-mission-1426009-2026-07-17?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2026-07-17 18:06:00
