Sittwe: Farmers in Arakan State are facing severe drought conditions in the area and have been unable to start cultivation in their fields, even a month after this year's cultivation season began, a farmer from Arakan said.
 
"Every year, we plough our fields in the beginning of June, but this year we cannot start ploughing even though nearly one month has elapsed. We all want the monsoons to commence in our state soon," he said.
 
Last year at around this time, half of the cultivation of the fields was over in Arakan State, but this year the cultivation is yet to begin due to lack of rain.
 
A farmer from Kai Shay Village in Taungup Township said, "All nursery farms were damaged because there has been no rain. In the first week of June this year, we had planted seeds in the nursery farms, as there was rain in our state, but now the rain has stopped."
 
In addition to the lack of rain throughout Arakan, the weather has been extremely hot, making it difficult for people to work outside during the day.
 
"I have never seen such drought conditions before. The weather is terrible because there has been no rain. We cannot go to our farms in the day time to work," a farmer in Maungdaw said.
 
"In another 15 days, Buddhist Lent will start. Last year at this time, our farm was almost ploughed, but this year nothing has been done yet. All farmers are suffering due to the drought and they are worried about their cultivation failing this year," the farmer added.