AS Nay Pyi Taw Council Area is a location for agricultural and veterinarian universities as well as offices of ministries, it is necessary to do production based on agriculture and livestock farms as models, said Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing at the meeting on the development of Nay Pyi Taw Council Area at the SAC Chairman Office in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday afternoon.
In his speech, the Senior General noted that Nay Pyi Taw Council Area is located on 2,724 square miles of land, more than 320,000 acres of which are cultivable lands. The area is facilitated by 32 dams and lakes in addition to Paunglaung (Sittoung River), Ngalaik Creek and Hsinthe Creek with fertile soil. Hence, agriculture and livestock farms can be done successfully. So, the University of Agriculture, University of Veterinarian Science and the University of Forestry were moved to Nay Pyi Taw.
He said that as Nay Pyi Taw Council Area is the location for agricultural and veterinarian universities as well as offices of ministries, it is necessary to do production based on agriculture and livestock farms as models. River water pumping stations can contribute to a sufficient supply of water to farmlands in summer. Hence, cultivable lands must be systematically improved to carry out agricultural tasks, he added.
The Senior General pointed out that the national vision of the nation is to ensure the prosperity of the country and the sufficiency of food. If livestock tasks can be carried out systematically, livestock products can be produced to meet the local demand as well as sell it to other regions and states. The Senior General stressed that waste from the livestock farms can produce bio-fertilizers in order to contribute to agricultural tasks.
Chairman of Nay Pyi Taw Council Dr Maung Maung Naing, Union Ministers U Tin Htut Oo and U Hla Moe, Lt-Gen Than Tun Oo and Commander of Nay Pyi Taw Command Maj-Gen Zaw Hein reported on land utilization in Nay Pyi Taw Council Area, undertaking and production of agriculture and livestock farms, the inflow of water to dams and supply of agricultural water, formation of agricultural farmers’ cooperative societies for systematically undertaking agriculture tasks and manufacturing tasks, operation of small-scale industries, and implementation of river water pumping stations for irrigating crops in mixed cropping and double cropping patterns.
In his response, the Senior General said that if paddy among the main crops such as paddy, maize, beans and edible oil is grown in the Nay Pyi Taw area, efforts must be made for increasing per-acre yield. Local farmers need to grow crops to meet the target per-acre yield set by the State. Officials need to fulfil the needs of quality strains of crops, fertilizers and natural fertilizers for the farmers in respective sectors. As feedstuff can be obtained from the agricultural produce, it will ensure the sufficiency of feedstuffs for the livestock farms.
He continued to say that officials need to supervise the systematic undertakings of agriculture and livestock farms under disciplines on the allotted lands. If emphasis can be placed on benefiting the farmers and increasing production, the country will have many job opportunities to efficiently utilize the labour, adding efforts must be made to systematically conserve watershed forests for ensuring better climatic conditions and sharing of water with users under the good management. If so, agriculture and livestock farms in Nay Pyi Taw can successfully produce their products, he said.
The Senior General stressed the need for cottage industries to make domestic crops as dried food to be manufactured as value-added products for export purposes. The government will help SME industries develop. Many opportunities will come out for the nation in shaping Nay Pyi Taw as a green city, clean city and smart city. Hence, efforts must be made to the improvement of agriculture and livestock farming through better management and various ways, the Senior General said. —MNA
