A farmer in the Irrawaddy delta plows his field in August 2008, three months after Cyclone Nargis inundated it with salt water. (Photo: Ashley Jonathan Clements)There is growing concern among farmers in Burma that this year's harvests could be adversely affected by the late start of the rainy season and continuing low levels of rainfall, according to a report released on Thursday by the World Food Programme and the United Nations Development Programme.
Based on interviews with more than 3,400 farmers around the country, the report found that many feared crop yields would be substantially reduced by water shortages, especially if rainfall continues to be less than normal.
However, the report acknowledges that “ if there is insufficient or no rainfall in the months of June and July, the rice and maize harvests … are going to be severely reduced,” estimating the potential loss at 25-30 percent.
Data for the report was collected in the first week of June. It identifies Chin State and Taunggyi and Lashio in Shan State as the areas at greatest risk. Other areas, such as Kachin State and the Irrawaddy delta, are less likely to be affected by delayed rainfall, the report says.
Meanwhile, farmers in the Irrawaddy delta say that they are suffering from a drought of a different kind: a lack of credit to purchase seeds, fertilizers and gasoline for generators.
“The government doesn't lend us enough money. I have 30 acres of land, but I can only borrow 150,000 kyat (US $150) per five acres from the UMEH [Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings],” said Hla Than, a farmer who lives in Betut village in Laputta Township.
“I will have to sell some of my property if I want to cultivate all of my land,” he said, adding that it costs about 130,000 kyat ($130) to grow one acre of paddy.
While some farmers complain that the UMEH provides insufficient credit, others say they won't risk borrowing from the military-run company because it requires that farmers repay the loans in paddy.
“If we borrow money from UMEH, we lose out if the price of paddy falls when we have to pay them back, so we prefer to borrow from private lenders,” said Thein Naing, another farmer from Laputta Township.
And while farmers in the delta are relatively less affected by the droughts that have gripped much of the country, they are also struggling to adequately irrigate their land.
“I can't irrigate my land properly because the water is too salty. The lack of rainfall this year has increased the concentration of salt in the water, and it's killing the paddy plants,” said Aung Nyo, a farmer in Bogalay Township.
“Another farmer near here lost about 10 acres of paddy because of this,” he added.
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