Aizawl, Nov 8: Opposition Congress legislature Lalrindika Ralte on Monday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to resolve the problem being faced by areca nut growers in Mizoram due to rampant smuggling of the same from Myanmar through the state.

Ralte informed the PM that even though the MHA had directed the state governments of Mizoram and Manipur to curb the widespread illegal import of areca nuts from Myanmar through the porous borders, “the way Mizoram government has been reacting to this unhealthy situation has been pathetic and short of expectation from a state government.”

He said another facet of the problem being faced by local areca nut growers is that Assam law enforcement agencies have not been able to distinguish Myanmar areca nuts from those grown in Mizoram.

“While Assam has been doing its best to prevent the entry of illegal areca nuts, the law enforcement agencies have not been able to differentiate between illegally imported variety and the desi ones in Mizoram, often resulting in confiscation of locally grown areca nuts,” Ralte stated in his letter.