Chiang Mai – Though the Burmese military government has provided cattle and hand tractors to farmers in cyclone ravaged Irrawaddy and Rangoon Divisions, they are finding it difficult to procure fuel and seeds.
The regime sold hand tractors and cattle in installments to farmers who have at least 60 acres of farmland in many villages in Kawhmu in Rangoon Division and Bogale in Irrawaddy Division. But these farmers are facing problems finding fuel and seeds for cultivation.
" Kodaung , Kan Thone Kan , Phayonechaung and Kyakan villages in Kawhmu Township got seeds but some others villagers did not get hand tractors or seeds so they had to try and get farm inputs and equipment own their own," a local resident in Kawhmu Township said.
"The farmers must have a guarantor to get hand tractors in installments. One must pay for the others and one must guarantee to payback. Otherwise they have to produce ownership certificates and documents of their farmland, plot, house lease grant etc to be eligible for installments. They must pay back the full amount in three years, once every year. They need to pay Kyat 500,000 every year for three consecutive years. The total cost of the hand tractor is Kyat 1.5 million," a local farmer in Bogale Township said.
Some farmers in Malaw, Daunggyi, Padamya Kone and Satsuu village tracts in Bogale Township have got seeds but the farmers in other village tracts have not. These farmers are finding it difficult to grow paddy in time.
"Farmers in Hayman, Kyein Kyaung Lay villages got one third of the seeds they required. For instance, they got 30 baskets of seeds of the 200 baskets they needed. It is also a bit late for this paddy season. The situation in villages varies," he added.
Some villagers from Htanmanaing village in Kawhmu Township came to the township office after the authorities promised to disburse seven baskets of seeds to each farmer. But they haven't got it.
"I' have 70 acres of land. Initially, the authorities said we would get all the seeds we need. But I've got only three baskets. How can I grow paddy with such a small amount. We are worried about getting seeds in time or else we will miss this growing season," a farmer in Yewin Udo village, Magu village tract, Bogale Township said.
Since many cattle died in the cyclone the farmers must rely on hand tractors. But many villages haven't yet got it.
"The reason behind not getting farm equipments has to do with bribery and corruption by the village authorities in collaboration with the township authority. We heard that some monasteries got these hand tractors too. But our Myasandi village has not got either seeds or tractors," a local resident of Kawhmu said.
Each village got only three or four cows and the farmers need recommendation letters from village authorities to get hand tractors. Most farmers who have got hand tractors are those who are close to the authorities. Moreover some tractors are defective. The cost for repairing such defective tractors is at least Kyat 100,000.
"The government promised to provide fuel needed to operate the hand tractors. But we haven't yet got rationed fuel of one gallon for every acre of farmland. We had to buy the fuel from the black market at a premium," a farmer in Myasandi village said.
The local authorities promised farmers fuel at the government fixed price of Kyat 3,500 per gallon but the farmers had to buy fuel from the market at over Kyat 6,500 per gallon. Many farmers unable to buy the fuel at market prices cannot use their machines, a farmer in Wet Thaike village, Kungyangone Township , Rangoon Division said.
"We are cultivating our lands with hand tractors and cattle. Most of the machines are bought by the farmers themselves, only few were sold by the township authorities. Similarly the farmers had to borrow seeds from their own folks. For the fuel, we had to buy from Rangoon at Kyat 300,000 per barrel plus Kyat 10,000 as transportation charges," he added.
