Mrauk U: Farmers from Mrauk U Township in western Burma’s Arakan State are facing difficulties with paddy seeds needed to re-cultivate the farms that were devastated by the recent flood which was triggered by the continual torrential rains.
A farmer from the area said 70 percent of the total, newly cultivated paddy farms were completely destroyed and that most of the farmers are having difficulties with the paddy seeds required to re-farm their crops.
“Now it is very difficult for us to re-cultivate our farms [as they are] covered with the mud deposits left by the recent flood and the weather is also not normal. 70 percent of the cultivated paddy farms in our township were destroyed in the flood and the farmers have no paddy seeds left in their stores for re-cultivating their farms again. I heard that the UNDP will help the farmers with a scale that 50 baskets of seeds will be provided for the necessity of 100 baskets, but no one has received [any] yet”, said the farmer.
He said the farmers especially from the villages of Nagumay Rwa, Zinkhanchay Rwa, Ohnkyaun Rwa, Sinpoonkaing Rwa, Laenhyintaung and Mrakratekyaun Rwa are facing even more difficulties for the seeds. Most of the farmers except the small number of affluent ones are still not able to re-cultivate their destroyed farms.
Another farmer said he has cultivated six shai of paddy farms (shai is the unit of local measurement on farmland approximately equivalent to 6.4 acres) and has lost nearly 20 lakh kyat after all of his farms were drowned in the recent flood and the paddy seedlings died.
“I had cultivated six shai of paddy farms this season and all my newly planted seedlings were dead after being drowned by the flood. Now it is quite difficult to re-cultivate the farms because the time is too late. I have lost nearly 20 lakh kyat and I am not yet able to pay the wages to my farmhands who worked for my lost paddy farms”, he said.
A resident from Mrauk U also said the President U Thein Sein had recently visited flood affected townships across the state, but he told the residents of Mrauk U that there was no plan to provide reliefs for the township.
“President U Thein Sein while visiting Mrauk U told us that he had no plan to provide relief for our township and that the situation of our township is not so serious compared to other affected townships. We do not understand why the president has neglected our woes and difficulties after being badly affected by the flood. We think that the president is probably angry with us over the matters of golden Buddha and so he neglected to provide relief for us for flood rehabilitation,” said the resident.
The incessant torrential rains had flooded many areas across Arakan State two weeks ago, hitting hardest the townships of Gwa, Taunggok, Thandwe, Kyauktaw, Mrauk U, Minbya, Mraybon and Pauktaw. An estimated one hundred thousand acres of newly cultivated paddy farms in those townships were destroyed by the floods.
