More Environemental Destruction in

[Rangoonp@xxxxxxx]

Subject: More Environemental Destruction in Burma for and by Private companies


MYANMAR'S Magway Division Reclaims Land for Farming

            Xinhua
            10-JAN-99

            YANGON (Jan. 11) XINHUA - Thousands of hectares of
            vacant, fallow and virgin land as well as wetlands in
            Myanmar's northwestern Magway division have been
            reclaimed by local private enterprises and cultivation of
            crops have started in the division along with two others. 

            A total of nine private companies have been granted to
            engage in over 75,700 hectares of such lands in different
            townships of the division along with those in Yangon and
            Ayeyawaddy divisions. 

            The Myanmar government is encouraging domestic private
            entrepreneurs to turn part of their investment in
agriculture,
            which is the mainstay of the country's economy. 

            Meanwhile, Myanmar has formed a special group under the
            Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation to assist the private
            entrepreneurs to undertake the large-scale farming,
            disseminating to them technology for the transformation
            efforts. 

            According to official statistics, in the 1997-98 fiscal year
            fallow land in Myanmar came to 1.1 million hectares and
            cultivable wasteland 7.89 million hectares. 

            The country expanded cultivated land under crops to 12.51
            million hectares in the year, 185,540 hectares more than the
            previous year. 

            Myanmar's paddy production fell from 19 million tons in
            1995-96 fiscal year to 17.66 million tons in 1996-97 and
then
            to 17.3 million tons in 1997-98 with its rice exports
reducing
            from 354,000 tons to 93,100 tons and then to 28,300 tons
            correspondingly. 

            On the other hand, the country's population is estimated to
            have reached 46.4 million in 1997-98, growing by 1.84
            percent annually. 

            In view of these facts, Myanmar is adopting the
            above-mentioned measures of reclamation of more land for
            cultivation. 

            Myanmar's agriculture, accounting for 36 percent of the
            gross domestic product and 35 percent of the exports in
            value, grew by 2.9 percent in output value in the fiscal

year.