Myanmar expects 3 million acres of summer paddy cultivation and fast production
U Ye Min Aung, president of the Myanmar Rice Federation, said that summer paddy is expected to be grown on about three million acres, and rice production is going at a fast pace.
About two million acres of summer paddy were planted last year, and since there was some damage to the farms due to Yagi cyclone this year, it is planned to increase summer paddy acreage while late farms after the storm will be harvested starting in January and February.
“There were two million acres of summer paddy. This year, there has been damage due to Yagi cyclone. Not very severe. There is no impact on Myanmar’s rice self-sufficiency, surplus and export. However, in order to replenish the decrease, we have started planting after the flood. Some will be harvested in January or February. We have also coordinated with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation to grow three million acres of summer paddy as instructed by the Head of State. Depending on available water supply, we will grow 2.7 or 2.8 million acres, so rice production is going at a fast pace,” he said.
Myanmar has about 17.5 million acres of rainfed and summer paddy cultivation with 14 million tonnes of rice production, of which there is a surplus of three million tonnes after setting aside for domestic consumption, and the surplus is systematically exported.
“This business includes many rice mills, and many jobs have been created in mills, export, customs clearance, banking, foreign currency earning business, international communication companies and offices. This sector produces rice for domestic consumption while generating foreign income, ” he continued.
As the price of rice was good, some fish ponds have been converted to paddy farms and fair market price is found to play an important factor for farmers’ interest in cultivating more, he added
MT/ZN
