Harvesting Season Commences About Maungtaw Township

November 18, 2016

Now that paddies in the paddy fields have ripened, process of harvesting, threshing and winnowing is being seen about Maungtaw Township.

A farmer in Myothagyi village, Maungtaw said, “My family ekes out our living by farming alone. We own 20 acres of farming land and we get some 1200 baskets of paddy a year at the crop yield rate 50/60 baskets of paddy per acre. In recent years, rates of crop yield have lowered, compared to those of previous years.

Most populace in Maungtaw District mainly lives on farming and fishery as their occupation. After harvesting monsoon crops—paddy, they grow winter crops on small scale such as peas, chilli, eggplant, tomato, etc., it is learnt. U Aye Tha Kyaw of Myothagyi village told, “I grew 14 acres of monsoon crop—paddy this year. I am a tenant farmer, having no land of my own.

I have to give 25 baskets of paddy per acre to the landlord as a tenant pay. Last year only a small amount of baskets was left for me with tenant pay excluded, as crop yield was not good. Yet this year it is expected that at least 200 baskets of paddy will go to my hut barn.” Main paddy seeds for paddy growers in Maungtaw Township are Manaw Thukha(2), Sinn Thwe (latt), Yadanar Aung, Thihtatt Yin and Vietnam—kinds of short and medium- aged seeds.

U Shwe Hlaing Maung, a local from Inn Din village, expressed, “This year I grew only 3 acres of monsoon paddy, growing less than ever because of few family members in my family. In this area the amount of monsoon paddy produce is greater than summer crops.

In recent years, rates of crop yield are lessening as we cannot use fertilizers, which are too expensive for farmers to afford for purchase. Formerly we can apply natural fertilizers, like cow dung/ manure as a substitute for chemical fertilizers.

We found farmers reaping paddy by the use of 40 harvesting machines hired from the department, during our visit at the village of “Mawrawady.” We learnt that the agricultural department shared knowledge to farmers how to use these harvesters.

With a view to collecting news, we went to the Buthitaung-Maungtaw road, Maungtaw-Kyeinchaung road and Taungpyo Letwe road and Maungtaw-Alaithankyaw road, seeing many farmers performing the process of harvesting, threshing and winnowing by applying machineries along the ripe paddy fields.

We imagined in our mind that the area would have a great promise of benefits if the authorities concerned would fulfill the needs of the farmers—subsidy of fertilizers and insecticides.

Ref; The Global New Light of Myanmar