CNI News

19 June 2023

Because the number of agricultural workers has decreased in Myanmar, farmers and peasants are worried that their farming activities will be lost, said rice farmers to CNI.  

Because of low income and insufficient wages from agricultural work, the number of workers who deserted from agricultural business has increased and the labour force became low, which damaged farming activities, said U Maung Thein Hla, chairperson of Dhanyawati Agricultural Association, Marauk U Township, Rakhine State.

a peasant ploughing

" About 20 youths who own farms have gone abroad in the face of difficulties in summer. If the farmers are not supported with seed paddy or there are not any organizations that will lend money for inputs, we will not be able to farm well. Local youths can change work or go abroad as well. Due to insufficient labour, agricultural busness can be more damaged this year.When taking seeds out, human labor is more used. We can find it difficult to look for workers and wages may be high." he said.

To reduce the outflow of human resources, job opportunities need to created and the government needs to make foreign investments enter the country, said U Ye Htut, a political analyst to CNI.

"The youths had to go abroad to work due to the fact that they found it difficult to make a living. If they can make a profit in the agro-business, they will work in the agro=business again" said U Thein Aung, chairperson of Farmer Development Association, Ayeyarwady Region, to CNI.

a peasant splashing pesticide

"They will go on working if they make a profit. They don't have to go abroad to work. The other year, a farmer made a loss because rice prices went down. He was in debt. He had to sell an acre of his farmland" he said.

Income from agro-business waw not enough to buy food for a family, so youths had to go abroad to get jobs that more income can be earned, said farmers.