Some Arakan State paddy farmers switching to fruit trees 

By Admin 27 May 2024

DMG Newsroom
27 May 2024, Mrauk-U

Some farmers from Mrauk-U, Minbya and Kyauktaw townships in Arakan State are reportedly substituting fruit trees on land where paddy will be grown, which can be profitable in a short period of time and at low cost.

“I have planted bananas on all my farms. Bananas don’t require a lot of capital and I can get the capital back in about two months. If you plant paddy, you won’t get any profit,” said Ko Win Hla Maung, a local farmer from Laynyintaung Village, along the upper reaches of the Laymyo River in Mrauk-U Township.

The paddy harvesting season has arrived, but farmers in Arakan State are reluctant to start farming amid the fighting. In addition to regional instability and security issues due to the conflict, farmers are struggling to farm due to the price of agricultural inputs.

The input cost per acre to grow monsoon paddy this year is over K1 million, which is approximately the same as the price of paddy harvested per acre.

Farmers are growing fruit trees such as banana, sugarcane and betel nut trees, as well as perennial trees such as eucalyptus, which have low inputs and can generate income in a short period of time.

“As the farmers here could not grow paddy, they planted other plants in their farms. Some planted bananas and some planted perennial trees,” said Ko Aung Naing, a local farmer from Pethapyin Village in Minbya Township.

As a result of the latest fighting in Arakan State, the regime has blocked land and waterways that allow goods to flow, and local residents are suffering from the effects of commodity shortages and price hikes.

The price of a barrel of diesel was only around K500,000 last year, but this year the price has increased to over K1.7 million, and the price for one bag of fertiliser has also increased from around K100,000 last year to over K300,000 this year, farmers said.

U Maung Thein Hla, an official of the Danyawaddy Paddy Seeds Association, said this year's monsoon paddy planting acreage in Arakan State may decrease and there are food security concerns for next year.

“I would like to urge farmers in Arakan State to grow paddy. Otherwise, there will be a food shortage in Arakan State next year and all the people will be in trouble,” said U Maung Thein Hla.

Arakan State has 1.2 million acres of farm available for paddy growing. Over 1 million acres were put under paddy cultivation last year, but farmers suffered financial losses due to Cyclone Mocha and floods.