The State economic promotion fund will be spent on the cultivation of 500,000 acres of green grams and 850,000 acres of summer paddy, said Steering Committee on Protection of Farmer Rights and Enhancement of Benefits Leader Vice-Chairman of the State Administration Council Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win at the meeting 1/2023 of the steering committee at the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday afternoon.
Speaking on the occasion, the Vice-Senior General said that the agricultural sector constitutes 23.7 per cent of the GDP of the State, and agriculture and livestock products are important export goods.
The Law of Protection of the Farmer Rights and Enhancement of their Benefits has been enacted for enabling farmers to enjoy deserved rights and benefits. Under Section 4 of the law, the Steering Committee on Protection of Farmer Rights and Enhancement of Benefits was formed with 39 members led by the SAC Vice-Chairman to implement duties and functions. In accord with the law, the floor prices of paddy were set in November 2022, and now, a plan is underway to form a crop floor price-setting team.
Under the MEB two-step loan plan, arrangements have been made for farmers to link Myanmar Agricultural Development Bank and relevant departments to take out agricultural loans for cultivation in vacant, virgin, fallow and forest lands.
The Ministry of Electric Power must give technological assistance for solar projects and the implementation of solar systems in the supply of water. The Agriculture Department releases input prices every two weeks. Farmers plan to grow 1.5 million acres of sunflower for local oil sufficiency and development of oil crop sector. The government disburses K100.248 billion of loans to sunflower growers. Moreover, a four-year special plan is being implemented for extending the cultivation of cotton plants to substitute import goods of long-staple cotton, increase per-acre yield and extend cultivable lands. So, 458,388 acres of cotton plantations have been cultivated up to 28 February 2023 against the target of 700,000 acres. In addition, the State economic promotion fund will be spent on the cultivation of 500,000 acres of green gram and 850,000 acres of summer paddy.
The Vice-Senior General stressed that farmers and livestock breeding entrepreneurs must be educated to increase the production of agriculture and livestock products of good eating quality.
Up to 31 December 2022, a total of 8,855 water use groups-WUGs were formed with 226,930 farmers. Furthermore, water use association-WUA is being formed one after another for the participation of farmers across the nation.
Currently, the emerald green (fishery sectors) village project is being implemented in regions and states, and 394 villages are implementing the project with K30 million each of funds for fishery development in the rural area.
The government provided K10 billion each to Kayah, Chin and Rakhine states, K8 billion each to Kachin, Kayin, Mon and Shan states and Taninthayi Region and K5 billion each to six self-Administered Divisions and Zones, totalling K100 billion for enhancement of socio-economic life of the people and recovery of State economy.
Secretary of the steering committee Union Minister for Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock U Min Naung reported on the progress of functions by the steering committee.
Union ministers, the chairman of Nay Pyi Taw Council, the governor of the Central Bank of Myanmar and chief ministers of regions and states discussed the progress of relevant sectors and future plans related to the protection of farmers’ rights and enhancement of benefits.
The meeting ended with the concluding remark of the Vice-Senior General. — MNA/TTA
