Yangon Region to cover over 120,000 acres of green gram, over 28,000 acres of summer paddy under State Economic Development Fund

More than 120,000 acres of green gram and 28,000 acres of summer paddy in Yangon Region will be grown under the State Economic Development Fund (SEDF), according to handover ceremony of payment-in-kind held on 23 December in Yangon Region to expand the acreage of green gram and summer paddy.
The State will provide payment-in-kind (seeds, fertilizer and diesel) instead of cash and the summer paddy growers will be entitled to receive K200,000 worth of payment-in-kind per acre of summer paddy and K120,000 worth of payment-in-kind per acre of winter green gram. Except from one per cent of service fee, those payments-in-kind are provided free of interest. At the harvest time, those crops which are equivalent to the payment-in-kind have to be returned at the prevailing market price and the growers can freely sell the remaining.
Those collected money will go to further contribution plans in the coming crop seasons. This project is to provide sustainable agriculture. Those participants in the projects are encouraged to exert concerted efforts to achieve this, officials said.
Those participating growers in Thanlyin District and Taikkyi District received the payment-in-kind under the SEDF on 25 December at the handover events held at No 1 BEHS Thanlyin and Shwegyobyu Hall in Takkyi Township respectively.
The permanent secretary U Khant Zaw, director-general Dr Ye Tint Tun of the Department of Agriculture and director-general U Aung Thura of the Cooperative Department elaborated on the matters regarding the objectives behind the contribution project of the green gram and summer paddy, needs for cooperation of the stakeholders including growers’ groups, businesspersons for agricultural inputs, millers and traders in the supply-chain, crop yield promotion, production of quality crops, strong market access, requirements to follow growing methods, strong points of cooperatives in agriculture sector and assisting in foundation of cooperatives.—MNA/EMM