Mizoram seeks ICAR's help to tackle famine-like crisis caused by bamboo flowering

Aizawl, July 8 -- Mizoram Agriculture Minister PC Vanlalruata has called upon the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to extend special financial and technical support to farmers affected by a rodent-induced famine locally known as Thingtam.

The phenomenon has been triggered by the mass flowering of rawthing (Bambusa tulda), a type of bamboo, across the state.

Speaking at the 96th Annual General Meeting of the ICAR Society in New Delhi, Vanlalruata highlighted the urgent need for central intervention.

He explained that the cyclical flowering of rawthing-which occurs roughly once every 48 years-leads to a sharp rise in rodent populations due to an abundance of bamboo seeds. The resulting rat infestation has devastated paddy f...