Myeik District Rice Traders Association to buy paddy from Myeik Tsp at minimum rate of K700,000 per 100 baskets

Myeik District Rice Traders Association pledged to purchase paddy from local farmers in Myeik Township, Taninthayi Region at the minimum rate of K700,000 per 100 baskets, said an official of the association.
This year, the local farmers in Myeik Township are facing difficulties to produce paddy seeds owing to the high agricultural-input cost, hike in fuel oil price and saltwater intrusion in agricultural fields. Saltwater intrusion impacts prompt some farmers to suspend the agricultural operations, the farmers stressed.
“It is hard for the farmers to cultivate paddy only with their income. They cannot bear both paddy seed cost and fuel price burden. As the association will help treat our land with tractor, the farmers are interested in resuming the agriculture,” a farmer U Tun Win from Kabin village said.
If the association offers a higher price than the current set price in the difficult time of the farmers, the farmers can return to their work.
The cultivation of paddy costs around K200,000-K300,000 per acre. They are not profitable with the basic price of 100-basket paddy.
“If the floor rate of paddy is set K540,000 per 100 baskets. Our association will offer K700,000 at least. If the market price reaches K900,000, we will offer the rate higher than that. This way, farmers are encouraged to go back to their fields. To fulfill the requirements of the rice consumption in Myeik city, we have to order from other regions. About K2,000 million worth of rice are supplied to Myeik city every month. If we support local farmers, that K2,000 million will flow into them. My rice mills could purchase 500,000-600,000 tonnes of rice paddy last year,” said U Maung Htway, chair of Myeik District Rice Traders Association.
There is a total of 42,476 acres of paddy in Myeik Township, according to Agriculture Department. This move is to help the local farmers tackle with their difficulties and provide self-sufficiency in the township, in coordination with the private businessmen and departments concerned.—Myint Oo (Myeik)/GNLM