Western Myanmar farmers warn of low yields from rainy season rice crop

Western Myanmar farmers:- Farmers in an area of western Myanmar’s Rakhine state said they have been unable to grow a seasonal rice crop because of recent intense fighting between the military junta and an ethnic insurgent army.

One farmer in Maungdaw township near the border with Bangladesh said people are worried about a looming food shortage because not enough rice was planted during the current rainy season.

Many farmers in Rakhine count on production from the rainy season crop because they don’t have access to irrigation water.

Monsoon paddy is usually planted in June, but fierce fighting between the Arakan Army and junta troops have caused many farmers to flee their homes, according to Ar Mula, a farmer who recently moved into Maungdaw town along with thousands of others.

“Everybody has left our village,” he said. “We can’t grow paddy there. All the people in our village have fled to the city.”

Another Maungdaw township farmer, Kyaw Maung, said his family is already facing food shortages.

“We are facing difficulties as no one shares food with us, and we have been selling our possessions for food,” he said. “There is no doubt that we will surely face many difficulties.”

The Arakan Army, or AA, has been fighting the military junta for territory in Rakhine and Chin states, and has captured several junta bases in Maungdaw township since June, including several key border posts. 

In the meantime, the junta has blown up bridges and blocked waterways, roads and trade routes throughout Rakhine.

Farmers are facing a scarcity of chemical fertilizers, fuels and farming tools due to the closure of trade routes and the increasing prices of agricultural supplies such as herbicides and pesticides.

Farmers elsewhere in Rakhine state – in Mrauk-U, Kyauktaw, Minbya, Myebon, and Ponnagyun townships – have also had difficulties with rice cultivation because of the fighting , several farmers said.

Out of the 850,000 paddy acres in Rakhine, most are located in the northern part of the state, according to Kyaw Zan, chairman of the Arakan Peasant Union.

About 750,000 paddy acres were cultivated last year, but the cultivation of monsoon paddy this year may be reduced by half because of trade route and supply issues, he said.

“Farmers who own 10 paddy acres can grow only on a small amount of acres – maybe one or two acres – for their self-sufficiency,” he said.

RFA sent a message to AA spokesperson Khaing Thukha through Telegram to ask about their work addressing the farmers’ difficulties, but he didn’t immediately respond. RFA was also unable to contact Rakhine state’s junta spokesperson, Hla Thein.  RFA/SP