The Mizoram government has began distribution of free vegetable and fruit seeds to farmers during the unprecedented crisis due to the outbreak of Covid-19 in order to boost local production, an official of state horticulture department said on Monday.

The process has commenced from April 17 to ease farmers of their difficulties during the nationwide lockdown.

“The horticulture department has so far disbursed free seeds to the tune of Rs 33 lakh to farmers across the state,” the department director Elizabeth Saipari told The Telegraph.

She said the government also placed another order and two consignments amounting to Rs 12.6 lakh are arriving shortly from outside.

According to Saipari, the move was to reduce import and boost local produce apart from helping the farmers.

“In the past we distributed seeds to the beneficiaries registered under the horticulture department. But now vegetable and fruit seeds are being distributed to all farmers free of cost to ease them of their problems caused by the ongoing lockdown due to the novel coronavirus spread,” she said.

She said at least 12 varieties of seeds, including tomato and cabbage, were distributed to farmers.

Saipari also said the state is more or less self-sufficient in vegetables which are locally cultivable, but have to heavily depend on import for non-local produce vegetables, especially rabi crops.

Patient tests negative

Mizoram’s lone Covid-19 patient, who is undergoing treatment at the Zoram Medical College (ZMC), has tested negative, a health department official said on Monday.

State nodal officer of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme and epidemiologist Dr Pachuau Lalmalsawma said the patient’s samples was sent to Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMC), where he was tested negative for the novel coronavirus on Monday.

He said the patient is still undergoing treatment at ZMC near Aizawl and he will be re-tested.

“Although the patient has tested negative for the first time, his two samples taken within 24 hours have to test negative consecutively twice in order to declare him fully recovered from the virus,” he said.

The patient, who was a pastor pursuing higher studies in theology in Amsterdam, had tested positive for novel coronavirus on March 24 after he returned from the Netherlands.

Since then he was undergoing treatment at the ZMC, which is a dedicated Covid-19 hospital in the state.

So far, Mizoram has not detected any new case of coronavirus.

As of now, six people in Mumbai Mizoram House, including a local staff, are currently undergoing treatment for Covid-19.

Earlier, eight people in the house had tested positive for the virus and two of them tested negative and discharged from hospitals recently.

The recovered patients are being quarantined at a church-run hostel in Mumbai.