Maungdaw, Arakan State:  Shrimp projects have been destroying many paddy fields in Maungdaw Township, and resulting in insufficient paddy for people of Maungdaw Township, said a farmer.

In 1985-88, in Maungdaw Township, there was sufficient paddy for the villagers, but after 1988 paddy became inadequate as there was mushroom growth of shrimp projects which destroyed many paddy fields.

The shrimp projects were encouraged by the authorities as they received benefit from the shrimp projects like taxes. There was also much money in bidding. The authorities did not collect rice from the farmers some years ago and it is not interested in paddy.

As a result, people of Maungdaw Township depend on the rice of Buthidaung and Akyab (Sittwe), the capital of Arakan State, Burma.

Though this year, the government ordered the villagers to grow paddy in the shrimp projects, but the farmers did not have sufficient paddy seeds and paddy seedlings because of the owners of the projects destroyed the paddy fields by infusing salt water into the projects.

If the lands for shrimp projects had grown paddy, there would be no paddy scarcity in Maungdaw township, said a village elder from Maungdaw town.

Most of the shrimp projects are owned by Union Solidarity and Development association (USDA), Burma's border security force (Nasaka), Military Intelligence (MI-18), Army, police and prison authorities. About 30 percent are owned by local people, said a shrimp project owner from Maungdaw north.  

A shrimp dam was built in Maung Nama village of Maungdaw Township by USDA three years ago, but it was destroyed by floods and heavy rain this year. The water of the dam also destroyed the road which linked Naribill-Kular bill. The road was made by World Food Program (WFP) 12 years ago and it is an ancient road made by the British. The villagers of northern Maungdaw town have been facing difficulties because the road linking Naribill and Kularbill villages was destroyed because of shrimp dam.