Maungdaw, Arakan State: Farmers in Maungdaw Township have been forced to buy chemical fertilizers from the Burmese government at high prices compared to prevailing market prices, said a farmer from Maungdaw Township preferring not to be named.

Recently, the District Peace and Development Council (DPDC) members have been trying to sell chemical fertilizers to farmers of Maungdaw Township through Village Peace and Development Council (VPDC) members.

In recent times, the DPDC members have distributed 20 bags (50 kg per bag) of fertilizers to every village tract in Maungdaw Township through VPDC members.

But the prices are high compared to the prevailing market prices. A bag of fertilizer is being sold to the farmers at the rate of Kyat 18,000 while the same bag of fertilizer in the local market is Kyat 13,000. Farmers have to pay extra as labour charges and transportation fees. So, to purchase a bag of fertilizer from the government, farmers have to spend at least Kyat 20,000, said a local villager.  

So, farmers are reluctant to buy chemical fertilizers from the government. It is not the paddy cultivation season and the farmers have no money to buy fertilizers. But, the government forces farmers to buy.

A schoolmaster said, “In other countries, government supplies to the public are subsidized.”