With the majority of the people living in the rural villages, agriculture remains the main occupation of the people of the district. The primary mode of agricultural practice is jhum, also known as swidden or slashes& burn method of cultivation. The main crops grown in the jhum are largely traditional crops such as upland rice, maize, millet and jobs tears and varieties of beans. The farmers areslowly taking to growing cash crops such as potatoes with encouragement from the Agriculture department. Also traditional crops such as soy beans, local varieties of bean called ‘Kholar’(PhaseolusSp) is grown as cash crop using traditional methods. Farmers are also taking up permanent paddy cultivation in terraced fields in favourable terrains.
The general climatic condition of the district is also favourable for horticultural farming. In colder regions such as the foothills of Saramati Mountain, apples are grown in abundance.Such that, ‘Apple Festival’ has become an annual fixture in Thanamir, a frontier village bordering Myanmar. Otherfruits like orange, mango, guava, and banana are also grown abundantly.