Dated:
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
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. ##
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