Arakanese farmers call on regime to allocate reserve fund for agricultural development

By Admin 02 Mar 2023

DMG Newsroom
2 March 2023, Sittwe

Arakanese farmers on the 60th anniversary of Peasants’ Day on March 2 requested that the government allocate a contingency reserve fund to help develop the domestic agricultural industry.

Farmers say the declining agricultural industry in Arakan State is due to a lack of effective support measures by those who have ruled for generations.

Spokesman for the Arakan Farmers’ Union U Aung Kyaw Mya said the number of people leaving farming is increasing because farmers face more and more difficulties every year.

“It is not clear how much budget the government spends on farmers. So far, we have never seen the government help the farmers enough to benefit them. I would like to ask the government to assist in the development of the agricultural and livestock industries in the country,” he said.

Many farmers in Arakan State rely on agricultural loans for farming, but they are facing difficulties due to the high cost of agricultural inputs.

Paddy yields in Arakan State have decreased by 50 percent this year due to increases in the prices of fertiliser, fuel and other agricultural inputs, as well as climate change, according to the Arakan Farmers’ Union.

U Soe Naing, a farmer from Mrauk-U Township’s Kyiyarpyin Village, said that more and more farmers in Arakan are abandoning farming and seeking alternative livelihoods abroad.

“Applying fertiliser as much as needed will increase paddy yield. If the fertiliser is not used as much as needed, the paddy yield will decrease. If the paddy yield is low, it is not convenient for the farmers. Due to these conditions, the number of farmers is decreasing year by year and they leave for foreign countries,” he told DMG.

“Last year, we were unable to get paddy seeds due to the intrusion of saltwater, so it became very difficult,” said U Hla San Aung, a local farmer from Pauktaw Township. “For us, the variety of paddy is important, and the paddy yield will be good from pure varieties of paddy seed. That’s why we need good varieties of paddy seed in the coming rainy season.”

Less than 900,000 out of 1.2 million acres of arable land in Arakan State could be cultivated last year due to the high cost of farming, conflict, and about 45 percent of farmlands being damaged by drought, according to data from the Arakan Farmers’ Union.

January 1, 1963, was designated as Peasants’ Day in a bid to achieve unity among farmers, but since 1965, Peasants’ Day has been celebrated on March 2.