KALADAN NEWS

Dated: Wednesday December 31, 2003

Paddy Farmers Have To Grow Mustard, The Green Gram Seeds In Their Paddy Lands In Northern Arakan

Maungdaw, December 31: The State Peace and development Council (TPDC) Chairman has ordered the paddy farmers of Maungdaw Township in Arakan State to grow mustard and the green gram seeds in their paddy lands, according to our sources.

On December 24, 2003, regarding this, the TPDC Chairman Captain Hla Pho held a meeting in his office inviting all the Village Peace and Development Council (VPDC) Chairmen and Secretaries. In this meeting, he asked all the participants to grow mustard and the green gram seeds in their paddy lands. He also threatened the attendants if any one meet not to comply with the order, all his arable lands would be seized and the owner also will be punished according to the local law and administration, sources further added.

SPDC authorities don’t provide or any assistance to the paddy farmers such as distribution of seeds, providing some money to assist their works and to arrange plough said another farmer to our correspondent

This year, farmers are facing acute of financial hardship as the price of paddy is down. Last year, a hundred Tawn (1,400 kgs) of paddy, priced at Kyat 150,000 but this year it is priced at only Kyat 60,000, he further added.

At present, paddy farmers are facing many difficulties such as lack of bulls and manpower. They have also to plough the marshlands because of fears of punishment of SPDC authorities, which are not suitable for growing said seeds. The SPDC authorities, knowingly ordered to the farmers, said a paddy farmer to our source.

The scarcity of grazing grounds for cattle is another suffering for the farmers as the paddy lands have been ploughed.