CNI News

August 28, 2023

The rainfed paddy rice yield in Yangon Region, Bago Region, Ayeyarwady Region and Mon State this year may increase by 20 baskets per acre and in 10 million acres, paddy rice may increase by tens of millions of tons, according to the farmer development association. Inputs - fertilizer, herbicide, pesticide and so on were cheaper than previous year and because the price of paddy rice is one third higher, most farmers used a lot of inputs. So, the yield of paddy rice has increased, said U Thein Aung, the Farmers Development Association, to CNI News.

" The yield of paddy rice will increase by 20 or 25 baskets per acre because farmers take care of their paddy rice. They are still feeding the paddy rice with fertilizer. The fertilizer decreases by one third than last year, but the price of paddy rice is one third higher. In any case, the yield of paddy rice will increase by 20 or 25 basket per acre in average in lower Myanmar - Bago, Ayeyarwady, Yangon Regions, Mon and Kayin States. In a total 10 million acres, the yield will increase by tens of millions of tons this year."

Some paddy rice

Because the prices of inputs went up in the previous year and farmers were not able to use inputs sufficiently, the yield of paddy rice decreased reportedly. Most of the farmers in Ayeyarwady Regions have grown paddy rice on all their farmlands without exclusion, so the yield would increase than last year, said U Aye Naing, a farmer from Bogalay Township, to CNI News.

" Because the price of paddy rice is high, farmers take care of cultivation. They didn't exclude any area of farmland. The yield of paddy rice will increase. We got 700 baskets of paddy rice from 15 acres last year. The yield will increase that we have expected." he said.

While saving rice

Moreover, rainfed paddy rice were grown again in Rakhine State where paddy rice was destroyed due to flood this year. As 75 percent of the area on which paddy rice is grown is higher ground, the yield may increase in Rakhine State as well, said U Maung Thein Hla, secretary of the Mrauk U Township Danyawady Farmers Federation, CNI News.

Although farmers have expected that the yield of paddy rice will increase, because the price of paddy rice tends to decline when the rainfed rice appear in abundance, it necessary so as not to be the price that can hurt farmers, said farmers, so that they will be able to grow summer paddy rice that can make the yield increase.