Aizawl, May 14 (PTI) The Centre has launched Mizoram Ginger Mission, a Rs 189.79 crore convergence-led initiative for ginger cultivation and value chain development for the northeastern state, officials said on Thursday.
The project was jointly unveiled via virtual mode by Union DoNER Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Wednesday, they said.
The launch event held at the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in Aizawl was also attended by state Horticulture Minister C Lalsawivunga, and important officials.
The initiative will be implemented under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).
Speaking on the occasion, Scindia underscored Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to ensure that farmers become true stakeholders in the entire agricultural value chain “from farm to fork.” He emphasised that the objective is not merely crop cultivation, but enabling farmers to participate meaningfully in processing, branding, packaging, export-led value addition, and global market integration.
The Union minister noted that while Mizo Ginger contains 6-8 per cent oleoresin against the global average of around 3 per cent, farmers today receive only Rs 8-15 per kilogramme, even as the value chain reaches over Rs 500 per kilogramme in international markets.
Calling for a decisive effort to “disintermediate the intermediary” and strengthen cooperative and FPO structures, he described the initiative as the “Mizo Ginger Movement”, anchored on four strategic pillars of Convergence, Value Addition, Branding, and Market Integration, and designed through convergence among the Ministries of DoNER, Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Food Processing Industries, and Rural Development, along with APEDA, NABARD, the government of Mizoram, and industry stakeholders.
Scindia also highlighted that the mission will deliver one integrated processing hub and three spoke centres, over 30 strategic interventions, and the integration of nearly 20,000 farming households into a unified value-chain ecosystem built on traceability, distinctiveness, quality assurance, and farmer-led value creation.
He set out a clear global vision for Mizo Ginger, with targeted entry into South-East Asian, Middle Eastern, and European markets, and stated that success would be realised the day Mizo Ginger is available on global shelves, traceable to individual farmers, and delivering direct economic benefits to them.
The Union minister assured farmers that the Centre stands “side by side” with them, describing the initiative as a long-term movement expected to deliver a six-fold increase in farmer value realisation, sharp reduction in post-harvest losses, international branding of Mizo Ginger, sustainable rural livelihoods, and a robust export and processing ecosystem for the region.
Lalduhoma said that the project will focus on sustainable cultivation, quality control and food safety, farm mechanization and solarisation, and post-harvest management and processing.
The post-harvest management and processing component, in particular, will receive gap funding support from the NEC’s Focused Development Component (FDC), he said.
Among the three main ginger varieties cultivated in Mizoram, Thingpui and Thinglaidum received the Geographical Indication (GI) Tag in 2021, he said.
In 2025, chemical residue testing conducted by Eurofins Analytical Services, Bengaluru, confirmed that Mizoram ginger successfully met quality standards, he said.
The CM added that the recent recognition as a USP further strengthened the crop’s potential and identity.
Ginger is the flagship crop of Mizoram and the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) government headed by Lalduhoma provides minimum support price to farmers for five key crops, including ginger.
Last year, Mizoram was declared the “Ginger capital of India.” PTI CORR RG
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