Mawlamyine, June (21)
Under military regime, the labor shortages in Mon State worsened, which made it difficult to grow rainfed rice this year, farmers told Than Lwin Times.
Skilled workers from various regions, including the Ayeyarwaddy and Bago regions, usually come to work during the rainy season, but the number of workers has decreased significantly this year due to the area’s instability, the difficulty of travel, the military council’s check on overnight guests, and some restrictions.
High commodity prices and livelihood problems prompted the majority of local workers to leave the country in search of jobs, causing a labor shortage.
“Due to labor shortages and high labor costs, farmers are facing many difficulties in growing rainfed rice, so they rely on the broadcasting method for planting rice”.
Before the military takeover, the skilled workers who grow rice were only paid around 4,000 kyats a day, but now the daily wages have risen to around 10,000 kyats.
According to one farmer, “We cannot plant rice on time amid labour shortages and must rely on the broadcasting method, so rice yield is likely to decrease significantly”.
On the other hand, farmers are suffering from labor shortages as well as high prices for agricultural inputs, so they have reduced rainfed rice cultivation.
In Mon State, there are nearly 700,000 acres of rice cultivation, and more than 43 million baskets of paddy are produced every year, and milled rice are exported and sold to other regions and states.
However, since the military coup, farmers have faced difficulties in continuing to operate their farms due to high general expenses, insufficient loans, and high interest rates.
News-Than LwinTimes
Photo-CJ
Thanlwintimes