Rice Growing Quotas in the Mon Stat

[Rangoonp@xxxxxxx]

Subject: Rice Growing Quotas in the Mon State

Rice Growing Quotas

   The following order, sent out to all villages in Kyaik Mayaw township
of Mon State, tells each village tract how much
   wet rice acreage they must cultivate in the 1999 growing season. The
quota for the township (52,444 acres) has been
   handed down from higher levels, and this order breaks this quota down
into an acreage for each village tract. The
   acreage quotas are imposed so that the SPDC can meet its targets when
it confiscates a quota of rice from every
   farmer after the harvest. These quotas are usually set at 12-15
baskets of paddy per acre, and farmers are forced to
   sell their quota to the authorities at less than half of market price
or face arrest. In practice, when the farmers hand
   in their quotas the corrupt local officials steal much of this money
by claiming that the rice contains straw or
   impurities, and the farmers end up receiving only 20-25% of market
price. (For examples of this, see "Death Squads
   and Displacement", KHRG #99-04, May 1999.) No exceptions are granted
even if the crop fails due to natural
   disasters, so many farmers have to buy rice on the open market just
to fill their quota.


                                                      Order #3*



                          
Township Peace & Development Council
Township Peace & Development Council

                          
Kyaik Mayaw township ­ Kyaik Mayaw town
Kyaik Mayaw township ­ Kyaik Mayaw town

                          
Reference: 500 / 5-16 / Ma Ya Ka
Reference: 500 / 5-16 / Ma Ya Ka

                          
Date: 1999 April 22nd 
   To:      Chairpersons
             All Ward / Village Peace & Development Councils
             Kyaik Mayaw Township [handwritten:] xxxx [village]

   Subject: Assignment to cultivate rainy season paddy acreage

   1) We have a plan to cultivate 52,444 acres of rainy season paddy. To
achieve this target, xxxx ward / village group is
   assigned to cultivate xxxx acres of rainy season paddy. 

   2) The ward / village group responsible for these xxxx acres must do
this in negotiation with the organisations
   concerned. We assign each farmer, type ba ya ka [indicating a strong
degree of order], to achieve the target for
   rainy season paddy on time, you are hereby informed.



                                    
[Sd.] 
[Sd.] 

                               
Chairperson
   Copies:
             File Copy
             Office Copy

   [This was a typed order copied to several villages, with the village
name written in afterwards by hand. 52,444
   acres is probably the quota of acreage dictated to the Township
authorities by higher levels within the SPDC, and
   the Township then reallocates this amount to each village based on
village size. After the harvest, the farmers?
   rice quotas will most likely be calculated based on the assumption
that the villages have produced a total of
   52,444 acres of rice whether they have or not, even if the crop fails
or if they do not have access to that much
   land.]