Aizawl/Agartala (The Hawk): Arecanut farmers in the northeastern states, particularly Mizoram and Tripura, are greatly impacted by large-scale smuggling from Myanmar and limitations imposed by the Assam government and are asking for federal assistance.
With the security forces, particularly the Assam Rifles, frequently collecting thousands of tonnes of the product, along with drugs, rare animals, and other products smuggled in from Myanmar, the criminal trade of arecanut, also known as betel nut or "supari," is on the rise.
The Assam government recently established some tough limitations to ferry arecanut through its territory in an effort to stop the illegal trade, which prevented farmers in Tripura and Mizoram from exporting their goods to other regions of India.
The arecanut transportation problem was reviewed by the Mizoram Church Leaders Committee members with Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs John Barla on Monday in Aizawl.
The church leaders described how Assam has imposed a prohibition on exporting locally grown arecanut from Mizoram as a result of the widespread smuggling of dried arecanut from Myanmar through Mizoram.
They asked Barla to help them solve this problem.
The Mizoram delegation, led by state Home Minister Lalchamliana, informed the Assam government during recent meetings on the inter-state border disputes in Aizawl and Guwahati that there has been significant unrest among the state's arecanut growers due to issues with the transportation of their produce to Assam and other regions of the country.
Lalrindika Ralte, a legislator and leader of the Congress party, recently requested the help of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the issues that arecanut growers in Mizoram are having as a result of the widespread smuggling of Burmese arecanuts.
Ralte claimed in a letter to the prime minister that dry arecanuts from neighbouring Myanmar and other countries had been widely imported illegally via the 518 km of borders with Mizoram.
Although the Assam government put limits in place to limit arecanut imports, law enforcement agents have been unable to distinguish between arecanuts from Burma and those from Mizoram and Tripura, which has caused serious marketing issues for the local farmers.
In the meantime, the Assam government's transportation limitations on Tripura's arecanut growers' produce prompted them to begin an indefinite strike on Monday.
Jampui Hills, which border Mizoram and are noted for their orange production, are also well-known for their extensive arecanut cultivation.
Over 2,000 households who depend on betel nut farming and commerce are suffering as a result of the Assam government's transportation limitations on arecanuts, according to J.D. Mawai, one of the Jampui Hills' arecanut growers.
Recently, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha discussed the matter with his Assam counterpart, Himanta Biswa Sarma, and sent a letter to address the situation.
For the past few months, Assam police officers stationed on Tripura's side of the interstate border have been obstructing deliveries of betel nuts transported by trucks for no apparent reason.
The Assam police's actions have made it difficult for Tripura's betel nut farmers to make a living.
(Inputs from Agencies)