Aizawl, Dec. 19: Mizoram is giving another shot at tasting the fruits of its “blue gold” reserves. Failed marketing techniques have hindered the state’s passion fruit trade from growing as it should, but Mizoram is now looking to revive cultivation of the fruit in a big way with help from the Centre.

Addressing members of the National Passion Fruit Growers Association at Vanapa Hall here today, commissioner of horticulture M.L. Chaudhary said, “As long as the state government assures of disposing the produce, the Centre is ready to extend all possible help”.

“Even in the last part of this financial year, which now leaves only three-and-a-half months’ time for production, I assure you of the best help I can give,” Chaudhary said, setting a target of 10,000 hectares of land for cultivation of the fruit in 2007.

The commissioner assured that central funds would not be a problem as long as the state initiated steps to facilitate cultivation and promised all possible help to the farmers.

He also suggested that the association should act as the link between the farmers and the Centre. He told the farmers that the association could directly contact the horticulture development board for necessary assistance in the field of training.

Mizoram horticulture minister H. Rammawi said, “Marketing is not a problem but we are looking for parties who will invest right from the plantation stage. We hope to be able to strike such a deal in the very near future”.

Director of the state department Samuel Rosanglura pointed out that at present 1,959.2 hectares of land was being used to grow the fruit.

“The old method of line system did not yield much and produced a single harvest in a year. That is now being replaced by the pandal system because the climbers have boosted the harvest greatly,” he said.

The director also urged the government to give priority to the concentrated juice plant located at Chhingchhip village, pointing out that the Italian-manufactured machines would not be able to cope with the production even if it ran in double shifts once the farmers started cultivation.

Though the state has been growing passion fruit since 1992, it has not yet devised a viable marketing strategy for the produce.

This year, Mizoram produced 24,490 metric tonnes of passion fruit — a clear indication that the farmers and the authorities are still keen on tapping the state’s “blue gold”.