There is no let up in the greed that the Burmese military junta harbours. The regime is now selling fertilizers, which came as aid from foreign countries for farmers in the Cyclone Nargis devastated regions in the country, since early this month, said local farmers.
Farmers in Burma's northern Kachin State said, sacks of fertilizers marked 'Made-in-China' known as Super phosphates were loaded on good trains and transported to the Public Train Station in Myitkyina Township, the capital of Kachin State.
Farmers in Myitkyina and Bhamo and sources close to junta's village administrators in these towns, said the sacks of Super phosphates were transported to Kachin State for free distribution to local farmers but the village administrators are selling it to farmers.
A sack of Super phosphate weighs 40 kilograms and it has been already transported to rice paddy fields in Bhamo District, the second largest town in the State from Myitkyina Train Station in more than 10 Chinese trucks on September 9, a farmer in Bhamo told KNG today.
The farmer in Mansi also called Manje city in Bhamo said, "The junta's city administrators (Ma-Ya-Ka) sold it all to farmers in their city for 17,000 Kyat (est. US $ 14) or 19,000 Kyat (est. US $ 16) per sack of Super-phosphate."
At the same time, the Chinese-aided Super phosphates for Cyclone Nargis-hit Irrawaddy River Delta also called 'the country's rice bowl' are being sold to farmers who own paddy fields in Kachin State, said sources close to the village administration office.
The farmers are facing problems buying fertilizers because the authorities are selling it at a time when rice paddy is about to flower, local farmers said.