Aizawl, Sept. 16 -- Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Tuesday said his government is working to gradually shift farmers away from the traditional practice of slash-and-burn, or jhum cultivation.

Speaking at Lo Zawh, a festival marking the completion of weed-clearing in jhum fields, held in his native village Tualpui in Khawzawl district, Lalduhoma said farmers remain the backbone of Mizoram's economy and deserve priority and respect.

"Although jhum cultivation cannot be abandoned abruptly, the government has been taking steps to help farmers transition towards alternative methods," he said.

Jhum farming, a subsistence practice involving felling and burning vegetation to clear land, is still widely followed in Mizoram for cultivating ...