The economic life of the Mizos has always been centered around jhum or shifting cultivation. The crops grown in the jhum are mixed. The principal crop is paddy and others are maize, cucumber, beans, arum, ginger, mustard, sesame, cotton etc. After clearing the burnt jhum, seeds for crops other than paddy are sown. Towards the end of April near the full moon time, paddy is sown. Mainly two types of paddy seeds are sown in the same field - early paddy and principal paddy. Yield of early paddy is rather poor but it ripens early and provides sustenance till the principal paddy is harvested.

There is vast scope for cultivation of tapioca, sugarcane, cotton, pulses and oilseeds in the state.

Some pulses like cowpea, rice beans and French beans are cultivated in the jhums. Oilseeds crops like sesame, mustard and soybean are growing well in the state.

Irrigitaion
In Mizoram the crops totally depend on monsoon water due to non availability of irrigation facilities. Hence yield per hectare is quite low. Champhai, North Vanlaiphai, Mat valley are some of the areas taken up for irrigation projects.

Horticulture
According to the demarcation of 15 agro-climatic regions in the country, Mizoram falls under the Eastern Himalayan Zone. It enjoys a tropical and sub-tropical climate where most of the horticultural crops flourish. Of the total 21 lakh hectare of land in the state, about 4.40 lakh hectare are suitable for horticulture.

In horticulture, the principal crops now grown in Mizoram are orange, banana and pineapple. In recent years there has been a sharp increase in the area and production of these crops.

The climate in the state is suitable for the cultivation of spices. Ginger, turmeric, chilli, pepper, cinnamon, large cardamom and citronella grow very well in the state. At present ginger, turmeric and chillies are commonly cultivated. On hill slopes, cinnamon of the wild variety is available in plenty. Large cardamom is thriving well in higher altitudes of 600-1500m. Ginger is traditionally cultivated in the jhum lands. The state has also good prospects for cash crops like coffee, rubber and tea. Rubber grew indigenously in Mizoram as the land and the climate are suitable for rubber cultivation. The Rubber Board has opened a sub-station at Kolasib. Tea is traditionally grown in Mizoram in small homestead plots for family consumption only. The agro-climatic condition of the state is suitable for tea.

In Mizoram traditional industries weavers and blacksmiths played an important role - first was a home industry for respective home consumption only and the second was for making weapons and implements for war, hunt, agriculture and domestic use. None of the industries came up for marketable produce. Mizoram has plenty of raw materials for industry mostly from forest, agriculture and horticulture. A craft centre was started in Aizawl which produces floor rugs, bags, aprons, cane works etc. In fact these types of local produce including Mizo hats, side bags and Mizo shawls have become very popular all over India.

On 1989, the state Government formulated an industrial policy for the state. Under the policy priority was given to agro and forest based industries followed by handloom, electronic and consumer industries. Some ginger and fruit processing plants have come up in the state, Zoram industrial development corporation (ZIDCO) has been set up by the state government in collaboration with the Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI). It is setting up industrial units of its own and is also assisting various enterprises.

A State Government undertaking - Mizoram Food and Allied Industries Corporation has been set up to develop, industries based on agro-horticultural products. Apart from the ginger, maize and fruit juice plants, there is potential for setting up different industrial projects based on locally produced fruits, tea, coffee, chillies, oilseeds, sugar cane, meat, milk, etc.

Another Government unit, Zoram Electronics Development Corporation, has been set up to promote the electronics industry. The climate condition, pollution free atmosphere and delicate skill of the Mizo women are conducive for successful electronic units like manufacture and assembly of television, radios, amplifiers, calculators, etc. Tribal clothes of the north-eastern states with attractive local motifs and designs are becoming very popular all over the country. Similar demand exists for the typical tribal handicrafts. The State Government has set up the Mizoram Handloom and Handicraft Development corporation for this purpose.

To promote various types of village industries Mizoram Khadi and village Industries Board was set up in 1986. The different training cum production centres set up by the Board in the state cover silk spinning and weaving, cotton spinning and weaving, soap making, oil extraction, carpentry, cane and bamboo works etc.

The Mizos have traditionally three species of animals and birds which they use for their religious ceremonies, rituals and also for their consumption of meat. These were semi domestic mithuns, pigs and fowls. Every house hold had fowls and pigs, but only the better off people could afford to have mithuns.

The propagation of yorkshire (white) breed of pigs was so extensive that all the villages have a large number of this exotic species. Similarly, in the poultry development of the exotic species - Rhodes Island Red (RIR) and white Leghorn, received popular acceptance. As against the development of cattle, piggery and poultry there has been a sharp decline in the numbers of mithuns.

Fisheries
Mizoram has about 2,000 hectare of water area under fish culture. The state does not have much fallow water bodies which could be reclaimed for ‘pisciculture‘. The existing lakes have potential for pisciculture. An age old method of fishing followed in Mizoram is to put a barrier in the flow of a river or stream by putting stones, felled trees, bamboos etc. and catch fish through cages put in the openings. Now many private fisheries are coming up in the potential areas of flowing water which can be impounded. There is good prospect of fisheries development in the Demagiri area. Because of the Kaptai Dam in Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh, a huge water body with abundant fish has come up in this area.