Farmers from Yathedaung study cultivation of edible oil crops at Farmers’ Education Farm in Sittway

Farmers from Yathedaung Township visited the Farmers’ Education Farm in Sittway Township, Rakhine State, on 12 March to study the cultivation of edible oil crops and to expand sown acreage next winter.
The Farmers’ Education Farm was established in Uyintha village-tract in Sittway Township by the Department of Agriculture in Rakhine State, where farmers are educated to increase their agricultural knowledge.
During the study tour, department officials explained the cultivation of crops grown in the demonstration plots, seed production process, and the process of storing seeds for each crop, and the farmers asked questions about the cultivation methods and conditions for producing edible oil, and production and use of quality seeds.
U Hla Tun, a farmer who came to the farm from Padaukmyaing village, Yathedaung Township, said, “We currently grow peanuts and cow peas for family consumption. These crops can be grown and cultivated with a little water. It is also convenient to grow these crops because they do not need to be fed a lot of fertilizer. That’s why I came to study and expand cultivation in the coming winter.”
“We are doing traditional farming, so we are cultivating in the traditional way. When we came here, we were educated by agronomists who explained their farming methods,” he continued.
“If we combined the knowledge gained here with what we are cultivating, we hope the yield will increase,” he added.
Farmers from villages in Mayukan and Musekyun, Yathedaung Township, came and study the model farms and seed production farms at the Farmers’ Education Farm in Sittway, where sunflower, peas and beans, potato and onion are cultivated as model farms.—Tin Htun (IPRD)/GNLM