Maungdaw, Arakan State: The Burmese military junta is forcing villagers to grow sun flowers, pulse and potato in Maungdaw and Buthidaung Townships since the beginning of this month, according to a former village Chairman of Maungdaw Township.

The villagers were ordered to grow ground nuts, sun flower seeds, bean seeds in their paddy fields and also along the street of Maungdaw-Bawli Bazaar road where the soil is not suitable. But, the concerned authorities forced the villagers to grow threatening punishment.    

Villagers wish to work on cultivable land where villagers and the government will profit from the projects or else the energy and money of the villagers will be wasted.

The government started this kind of projects six years ago. But, it had never succeeded, said a local elder.

The authorities gave 8 kgs of sun flower seeds to the villagers at the rate of kyat 1,000 per kg.  A farmer, who has three acres of paddy fields, has to grow sun flower seeds on one acre and another two acres would be for potato and pulses.

On November 10, clerks from Township Peace and Development council (TPDC) went to Bawli Bazaar of Maungdaw Township distributed one bottle oil to the farmers which they said would help make the land fertile once mixed with the soil. They provided one oil bottle per acre at the rate of kyat 8,000, said a villager of the locality.

In Buthidaung Township, some of the office staff from the agriculture department went to villages and distributed sun flower seeds to the farmers at the rate of kyat 1,000 per kg to grow anywhere that farmers wanted to. There is no restriction to grow seeds.  But, the farmers are forced to buy seeds from government though they have the seeds to grow with them, said a schoolteacher.

Most of the farmers' lands of Maung Nama, Kyi Gan Pyin, Pawet Chaung villages of Maungdaw Township were seized for Natala (Model) villages by Nasaka (Burma's border security force) and distributed to Natala villagers. Therefore farmers have to borrow land from the Natala villagers at the rate of kyat 300,000 per three acres for one season. When the Rohingya farmers have difficulties in the rainy season, they borrow money from Natala villagers at the interest rate of kyat 20,000 on kyat 100,000 per month, said a trader from Maungdaw.