Flood affects Burma's crop producti

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Flood affects  Burma's crop production

Burma, once known as Rice Bowl of Asia, is now facing a serious threat of
the scarcity of rice even for local consumption due to recent floods in
the country. The floods in its neighbouring countries like China, India
and Bangladesh in recent months have at last come to Burma which faced a
severe drought for some months till it came. It has been heavy rains in
many parts of the country since the beginning of August in Burma. As the
result, the rivers and streams become flooded. The three major rivers of
Burma, Irrawaddy, Sanlwin and Chindwin, are flooded now and
government-controlled radio and T.V has been daily alerting the people
living along the banks of these three rivers of possible floods in the
nearby areas.

The areas which are already flooded or in danger of flood include the
areas along the three major rivers of Burma. In Amarapura township of
Mandalay Division in central Burma, villagers had to flee by boat due to
the flood which rise up to the top of their houses and buildings.

The flood had already affected the country's crop cultivation. In many
areas, paddy fields are under water and the farmers could do very little
as no support either in financial or material terms from the government
does reach them to do their work again. Some Burma observers say that it
is likely to affect the country's already-worsening foreign export as the
export-oriented crops like beans and pulse production is severely damaged
due to drought in the past and flood in the present. The prices of rice is
soaring inside the country as the people starts storing the rice. The
escalating political confrontation in the country between the government
and the National League for Democracy (NLD) make the situation more
venerable. "Two months ago, the price of a basket of rice was 2,000 Kyats
(Burmese currency), now it is 2,400 Kyats, and it will be more in a few
months", said a villager in Tamu township of Sagaing Division the place
where rice used to be surplus for local consumption.

The government, believed to be a measure of precaution, has recently
ordered its army battalions across the country to grow rice and crops for
them by themselves instead of buying and sometime forcefully taking rice
from the farmers and people. The eminent environmentalist of India Mr.
Sunderlal Bahuguna on 15th September in an interview criticized the
policies of the governments in the region which allow reckless and
uncontrolled logging as one of the main reasons causing floods in China,
India, Bangladesh and Burma.


By Soe Myint
1944, Outran Line,
Kingsway Camp,
Delhi - 9
Tel/Fax : 0091-11-711 5491
Mobile : 98101 33410