Ripe paddy goes unharvested in perilous Arakan State

By DMG 25 Oct 2022

DMG Newsroom
25 October 2022, Rathedaung

Farmers in Arakan State townships are reportedly having difficulty harvesting paddy due to renewed fighting between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army.

“Now is the time to harvest monsoon paddy, but the junta troops stationed near the village are firing heavy weapons and small arms, making it difficult for the locals to harvest the rice,” said a farmer from Pyainetaw Village in Rathedaung Township.

“Now the paddy is overripe, but locals are afraid to go outside to harvest the paddy,” he added. “Military troops on Manhyin Hill often fire heavy weapons into the village. Owners of cattle dare not go outside to herd their cattle. If the paddy is not harvested when it should be harvested, the paddy may be damaged.”

Almost all residents in Pyainetaw Village have fled to nearby villages due to the fighting and only a handful of people remained in the village, he added.

Thousands of residents in Arakan State’s Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Minbya, Kyauktaw and Mrauk-U townships are worried that they will not be able to harvest paddy due to the ongoing fighting.

A farmer from Phalaungpyin Village, Minbya Township, said that if the paddy cannot be harvested in time, his family and others will face difficulties.

“The paddy is ripe. The military troops near Kyatsin Bridge opened fire on locals. We are unable to harvest paddy for the time being, so we have no income. We will go hungry if we cannot harvest the paddy in time,” he said.

According to local residents, junta soldiers took control of about 50 acres of ripe rice fields owned by residents of Phalaungpyin and Ngatanpyin villages near Kyatsin Bridge in Minbya Township, without obtaining permission from the owner, and harvested the rice. DMG was unable to obtain comment from Major-General Zaw Min Tun, spokesman for the regime, regarding the matter.

A local farmer from Nagara Village, Kyauktaw Township, said it is not easy to harvest the ripe paddy in a situation where they are often fleeing fighting, including heavy weapons fire.

“It is impossible for us to harvest the ripe paddy because we have to flee to safer locations. We will not be able to repay our debts because we have to borrow money from others to grow paddy. We will face livelihood hardships,” he said.

U Aung Kyaw Mya, spokesperson for the Arakan Farmers’ Union, confirmed that due to the consequences of the fighting, farmers are worried that they will not be able to harvest their paddy in time.

“This year, the farmers in Arakan State have many challenges, and it is not easy to get back the capital of rice cultivation. Due to climate change, and rising prices of petrol and fertilisers, farmers have suffered. Farmers are worried that there will be many difficulties if the fighting intensifies and roads are blocked,” he added.

There are about 1.2 million acres of arable land in Arakan State, but only some 850,000 acres of farmland could be cultivated this year due to the higher costs of farming, and because some farmers are still unable to return home, according to the Arakan Farmers’ Union.

The Arakan Farmers’ Union estimates that some 50,000 acres of farmland in Arakan State townships including Buthidaung, Maungdaw and Pauktaw have been abandoned due to the renewed fighting in Arakan State.