Champhai, Oct 15: North Eastern Council (NEC) Secretary Satinder Kumar Bhalla on Thursday inspected several development projects in Champhai district of Mizoram, reviewing initiatives related to ginger and passion fruit processing, grape wine production and sericulture.
During the visit, Bhalla was accompanied by Horticulture Department Secretary Maria CT Zuali, Champhai Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Aaquib and Senior Research Officer Lalnunsiami.
He first inspected the proposed sites for the Mualkawi Ginger USP Main Processing Hub and the Zotlang Ginger Spoke Hub. The facilities are planned to support ginger cleaning, grading, slicing, drying and packaging. He directed the concerned departments to expedite pending works to ensure the projects become operational at the earliest and also interacted with local ginger farmers.
Bhalla subsequently visited the Passion Fruit Processing Unit, being established with NEC funding, and reviewed the remaining work required to make it operational. He instructed the authorities to speed up the process and identify qualified personnel to manage the facility. He also emphasised the importance of maintaining quality at every stage of production and ensuring the unit’s effective operation after its inauguration.
At the Champhai Winery in Tlangsam, the NEC Secretary held discussions with officials of the Champhai Grape Growers’ Society regarding the challenges faced by grape growers. Officials highlighted difficulties arising from frequent changes in government policies concerning wine sales, while noting that the winery had helped improve the situation of local farmers.
The winery currently produces around 150 cases of grape wine daily, with discussions held on the possibility of increasing its production capacity to 600 cases per day. Bhalla encouraged the authorities to improve wine quality and strengthen the livelihoods of grape growers.
He also visited the Oak Tasar Seed Farm under the Sericulture Department, where officials briefed him on silkworm rearing and silk yarn production. He was informed that Champhai is the only place in Mizoram where all four varieties of silk Oak Tasar, Mulberry, Muga and Eri are produced. He stressed the importance of ensuring better market prices for silk yarn to improve the income of silkworm rearers.
Later, Bhalla visited Zokhawthar and held discussions with officials of the Land Customs Station.
The visit focused on reviewing the progress of key development initiatives, accelerating the completion of pending works, improving processing facilities and promoting sustainable livelihoods for farmers and producers in the region.