With the warning from the Meteorology and Hydrology Department that isolated rain or thundershowers, accompanied by strong wind, hails, thunder and lightning are expected in March and April, the people, especially farmer, are urged to be on alert to the extreme weather events.
The convective cloud by gradually rising day temperatures in the country is likely to cause this weather event.
We witnessed in the past that unseasonal rains and hailstorms damaged the winter-planted crops. The consequential loss to the agriculture sector has alerted us for several years to create a mechanism that can mitigate the losses of the farmers.
Climate change-induced variation in rainfall patterns, droughts, flooding, and geographical redistribution of pests and diseases pose a major challenge to our farmers for decades.
With the impact of climate change looming large on agricultural productivity, the insurance sector has a big role to play.
Lack of crop insurance has been landing farmers in a debt trap as it is hard for them to pay off loans to the government when their crops get damaged.
With the impact of climate change looming large on agricultural productivity, the insurance sector has a big role to play.
Myanmar is listed among countries that are adversely affected by erratic weather. This is the reason why crop insurance is important for our farmers.
To promote the livelihood of farmers who make up over 70 per cent of the total population of Myanmar, we need to make legislations that can protect them when crops, cattle, or machinery fails.
We have experienced that crops that grew well in the past may no longer continue to do so due to climate change, and crops are getting damaged by droughts or floods every year.
Farmers are important to our country’s economy as well as for achieving food sufficiency for our people. Due to this, the Protecting Rights and Enhancing Economic Welfare of Farmers Law was enacted.
Now is the time to make plans for helping farmers with a crop insurance system.
Hence, an agricultural insurance scheme should cover crops, cattle, and tractors.
We are confident that a successful insurance system is an important tool for poverty alleviation and job creation, particularly in rural areas, as it safeguards the interests of farmers.
