Agriculture
authorities forced farmers to grow subsidiary crops
Independent Mon News Agency (
“A group of township agriculture authorities came to the
villages and gathered villagers to grow subsidiary crops such as rice and
beans,” a villager said.
According to Nai Jorn, a reporter, villagers are dissatisfied with
authorities because they were forced to grow crops in previous years and
received no benefits for growing them.
Nai Lawi,
a farmer from Kalortort, asked, “How can farmers grow
paddy without enough water? They distributed so little water. The farmers had
paid for the water but no water reached their farms. How can paddy grow without
water? That is why farmers lost their investment in the farms.”
According to the farmers, they had paid 5,000 kyat per acre
for water whether or not they grew paddy or beans.
“The authorities also forced farmers who denied the order to
grow paddy because of water difficulties to grow beans. But it was of no
benefit because the soil was not good for growing beans,” Nai
Lawi added.
Nai Jorn
reported that some farmers refused to grow what authorities wanted. Other
farmers, who had easy access to the water, grew it. However, halfway into the
growing, authorities cut the water and farmers faced a water shortage for their
paddy.
“It caused the farmers to gain no benefits,” a farmer said.
The authorities are trying to prove that their dam built
five years ago benefits local people.
However, in Kalortort, Abit, Sat-thwa and six other
villages, farmer faced no benefits and had to do what the government
authorities wanted, Nai Jorn
reported.
For further information, please contact to Independent Mon News Agency
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