The lost harvests of Manipur’s conflict zones

Aug 12, 2025

Churachandpur (Manipur), 12 Aug ANI: The barren paddy fields stretching between the valley and the hills of Manipur stand as silent witnesses to the deep scars left by the ethnic violence that erupted on May 3, 2023. Once a shared space where both Kuki and Meitei farmers cultivated paddy side by side, these fields now lie abandoned.The miles-long buffer zone, carved out in the aftermath of the conflict, has turned fertile farmland into no-man’s land — off-limits due to constant security fears. In Chingphei village, we met Ngulsang, a farmer who, like many others in the region, is living in quiet distress. For over two years, he has been unable to return to his land — his source of livelihood lost to a conflict that refuses to fade. In Manipur, rice cultivation is more than just agriculture — it’s a way of life.As the state’s staple food, rice is grown by nearly 2.3 lakh farmers across approximately 1.95 lakh hectares of land.The vast majority of these cultivators are marginal farmers, working on small plots that sustain their families and communities. However, since the outbreak of ethnic violence, Manipur’s agricultural heartbeat has been disrupted.The ongoing conflict has severely impacted farm productivity, leading to significant economic losses across the state. The worst-hit areas lie along the sensitive foothill regions connecting Kangpokpi with Imphal East and Imphal West, as well as Churachandpur with Bishnupur. In these fertile yet now-fractured zones, fields that once flourished with paddy now lie uncultivated — victims of fear, displacement, and deepening divides.