Infestations reported in dozens of farming villages in Arakan State

By Admin 25 Oct 2023

DMG Newsroom
25 October 2023, Sittwe
 
Many acres of ripe rice plants have been destroyed by infestations in Arakan State’s Rathedaung, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya and Pauktaw townships, according to local farmers.
 
The infestations began last month, and many infested rice plants were completely destroyed, said farmers.
 
Infestations of paddy fields have been reported in at least five villages in Kyauktaw Township. Farmer U Thaung Kyi from Thawunkaing Village in Kyauktaw Township said farmers had been forced to use pesticides to stop the spread.
 
“Rice plants have died from infestation, and there is no way to revive those rice plants. Rice plants were heavily infested. They were so covered with insects that we couldn’t see the rice plants,” he said.
 
Making matters worse, many paddy farms were flooded by heavy rains in August, and many rice plants that survived the floods have now been infested.
 
U Maung Hnaung from Pyinyaung Village in Minbya Township said: “This year is going to be a hard year for farmers. We have been hit by a double whammy of flooding and infestation.”
 
Farmers who can’t afford to use pesticide can only watch helplessly as their rice plants are eaten away by insects, said U Kyaw Win from Ngapyitet Village in Pauktaw Township. “Only those who can afford to use pesticides can reduce the damage,” he said.
 
Many paddy fields as well as paddy seeds were damaged by Cyclone Mocha in mid-May.
 
Villages in Sittwe Township have also reported suffering from infestations, said farmer U Maung Mya Thein.
 
Many farmers are understandably concerned about a poor harvest after the series of natural disasters their crops endured this year.
 
“Paddy plants were damaged when the tide entered the paddy fields [during Cyclone Mocha],” said farmer U Tun Hlaing from Moese Island in Rathedaung Township. “Only those who can afford fertiliser can lessen the impact. Those who can’t afford it will see a poor harvest.”
 
More than 70,000 baskets of paddy seeds were soaked and destroyed by Cyclone Mocha in May. Many cattle were also killed by the storm.
 
More than 70,000 acres of paddy fields were subsequently damaged by flooding triggered by significant rainfall totals in early August, according to the Arakan Army (AA).