Aizawl, Nov 7: Farmers across several villages in Mizoram are in distress following a sudden surge in rodent populations, triggered by the mass flowering of bamboo.
According to a report released by the Mizoram Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department on October 30, 2025, rodent outbreaks have been reported from 163 villages across all 11 districts, damaging crops over a total area of 7.6 lakh hectares.
“There has been total damage and destruction of crops over an area of 2.3 lakh hectares. Many farmers have suffered extensive losses, with multiple types of crops affected,” the department said in its report.
The worst-hit areas include Mamte and surrounding villages, about 50 km from Mizoram’s second-largest city, Lunglei, where farmers say rats began attacking paddy fields in late September.
The affected crops include major staples such as maize, mustard, ginger, turmeric, betel nut, lentils, spinach, mustard greens, and several varieties of beans. To help farmers recover, the state government has initiated relief measures, including the procurement of 186.67 quintals of local rice seeds for resowing.
Experts warn that the current outbreak may signal the onset of “Thingtam”, a famine associated with mass bamboo flowering and subsequent rodent infestations. The phenomenon is linked to the gregarious flowering of Bambusa tulda, locally known as rawthing, which typically occurs once every 48 years. The last recorded Thingtam took place in 1977.
When Bambusa tulda flowers, it produces protein-rich fruits that attract rodents. Once the food source is depleted, the rats turn to farmlands, devouring standing crops and stored grains — often leading to widespread scarcity.
Mizoram has endured two major famine cycles in the past — Mautam and Thingtam — both tied to the cyclical flowering of bamboo. Historical records document severe famines in 1862, 1911, and 1959, each following the same ecological pattern of bamboo flowering, rodent explosion, and agricultural collapse.
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