Taw lawi : Farmers at six township in Moulmein District Mon State are struggling to plant their normal amounts of rainy season paddies, and over 50,000 typically farmed acres will remain uncultivated.
According to a government agricultural officer serving in Moulmein District, the remaining unplanted paddy lands are largely located in the low topographic areas of Mon State, in the townships of Ye, Kyaikmayaw, Mudon, and Chaung Zone. Kyaikmayaw township contains the largest amount of these lowlands.
He reported that in these six townships in Moulmein District are approximately 505,600 acres of rice paddies; as of September 27, 2010 only 450,453 acres were actually being cultivated. Of the 55,147 acres left unplanted, 25,000 of these are in Kyaikmayaw Township.
Farmers in this area practice what can be referred to as “deep paddy cultivation”. Low topographic areas of Southern Burma are typically flooded during rainy season, which typically lasts from May until October. As the flood water recedes as rainy season wanes, farmers plant their rice fields on recently exposed lands approximately two months after regular level rice paddies have been cultivated; planting continues at lower and lower levels topographically until rainy season ends and these fields cease to receive the rain needed to keep them sufficiently watered.
This year, rainy season began in late June, nearly two full months after its normal starting point. Farmers in these lowland still experienced flooding, but at a much lower level, leaving areas that would normally have been well-watered completely unirrigated. Farmers were still required to wait until the months of August and September to plant the remaining, previously flooded fields, but the inconsistent rains of this year’s rainy season means that even these fields are not receiving the water they need.
According to a farmer from Hneedone village in Kyaikmayaw Township,“ In this year there isn’t flooding at the Moulmein District, at the resent years Kyaikmayaw Township and other township were flooded, so lower land field could be planted after the floods waned. Now the land isn’t flooded, so this land isn’t planted plant and remains. This year is no more rain so we planted quickly because the water is quickly going down. So there is no money to rent workers again.”
He reported that the land that farmers in his area had planned, in the pre-rainy season period, to plant could not be cultivated at all. The remaining areas that have been planted are reportedly difficult to cultivate.
According to a civil servant from Land Record Department, “In Moulmein district, Kyaikmayaw Township has the most deep water land such as in village, Kaline Kaning village,KonNaan village, Malekayooe village, Taranar village, Kawt One village, Kayonelatepan village; [There are also deep water paddies] in Ye township’s Moakanin village, in Lamine Sub Township, and also in Mudon Township’s Kawt Tar village, Kawt Pa Rai village, and Kalaot Tot village.”
“Most of the plants are not strong because they are getting not enough rain, so the leaves are not normal, they are becoming yellow colored, and then if there is no rain we can’t plant the remainder of the planting after the float time paddy, so [the farmers] lost the planting area this year” a retired agriculture officer explained.
According to the servant agricultural office, Moulmein District typically receives 200 inches of rain during rainy season; as of September 15th of this year, the district had only received 110 inches; if the uncultivated paddies are to be farmed this year, rain levels must increase dramatically.
