According to the Department of Agriculture, the harvest of 152,746 acres of rain-fed peanut crops in Magway Region began in September.
Pakokku District in Magway Region is known for producing oil crops and various beans. Rain-fed peanuts, categorized as an oil crop, were planted last May and have now started to be harvested this September.
According to the Department of Agriculture’s statistics, a total of 25,146 acres in Pakokku Township, 9,322 acres in Yesakyo Township, 56,478 acres in Myaing Township, 50,307 acres in Pauk Township, and 11,493 acres in Seikphyu Township have been cultivated, adding up to 152,746 acres.
The cost of cultivation is approximately K777,000 per acre, with a yield of about 40–45 baskets per acre. The price of a basket of groundnuts (when wet) is K23,100, resulting in a profit of about K260,000 per acre. Farmers are expected to earn even more profit by drying and processing the groundnuts into peanuts for sale.
Peanuts serve multiple purposes, including the production of peanut jam, roasted peanuts, and peanut oil. Peanut paste, derived from ground peanuts, is also produced and sold as fermented sesame oil cakes. Additionally, peanut stems and decayed husks from the peanut plant can be used as animal feed, leading to an expansion in peanut crop cultivation. — TWA/CT
