International and domestic financial assistance will be made available for elephant yam (locally called “Wa u”) plantations in areas specified by the Chin state government.
‘The Mirror’ newspaper of the former military government reported that on September 5, U Ohn Than, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, responded to questions from U Stephen Tha Bik of the Chin state constituency (4) regarding support for the elephant yam projects in Chin state. He affirmed that elephant yam special plantation zones are being implemented.
The report also said that the Environmental Conservation and Forestry Ministry have been distributing elephant yam seeds in Victoria National Park ('Natmataung' in local language) and its surrounding areas since 2010. Model project villages Okpo, Makyaukha, Zawyaung and Yelaungpan have now developed 50 acres of land for elephant yam plantations.
Data collection led by the Chin state government since July reveals that payments of seven lakh Kyats per acre for elephant yam plantations and four lakh Kyats for monkey rice (zawngta) plantations will be allotted in Tonzang Township, Chin state.
Agricultural loans from the central government cannot yet be granted for elephant yam cultivation because their loans target major crops like paddy, groundnut, sesame, pulses and beans, cotton, maize, oil mustard, jute and sugarcane.
Elephant yam is widely cultivated in Chin state, according to a resident of Matupi. Dry elephant yam is sold for 1,000 Kyats per kilogram in local markets, while non-dry yam fetches 300 Kyats per kilogram.
“Elephant yam can be planted in any area of the state. It grows naturally in the jungle. I plant it myself, but local authorities said the government cannot give loans for private cultivation,” said a local grower.
A report published in June 2011 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) named Chin State as the poorest among Burma's 14 regions and states, with 73.3% percent of people living below the poverty line.
As a result, tens of thousands of Chin refugees have arrived in neighboring countries and destinations worldwide. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in New Delhi, the capital of India, said that Chins who applied for refugee status there are dealing with growing numbers of children living without their parents. Khonumthung news
