February 24, 2009: The Burmese military junta has purchased 14,00,000 tins of rice from farmers in Kalemyo and 10,50,000 tins of rice from Tamu Township in Sagaing Division, upper Myanmar.
A report said that the military authorities have ordered completion of collection of rice within this month.. Till now farmers have achieved two thirds of their target set by the authorities in Kalemyo.
Now the Burmese Army Infantry Battalion (IB) no. 89 based in Kalemyo is purchasing rice in two allocated areas, which are NatChaung, Letpanchaung, Sakhangyi and Chichai villages at Kyat 2500 per tin.
At the same time the military regime IB. 309 based in Tamu also purchased rice from some villages at Kyat 2500 a tin, said a local.
Some farmers cannot cultivate enough rice to achieve their target set by the authorities, so they have to provide Kyat 17,500 in cash per acre in place of the rice.
The military has purchased the rice from local farmers cheaply and they are using their own vehicles to carry it. But, in some villages, where vehicles cannot enter, villagers are having to carry the rice in bullock carts up to the army’s motor parking place free of charge.
The actual price of rice is Kyat 3,000 a tin in the market, but the army procured it at Kyat 2,500 a tin. The people, therefore, are very disappointed.
A local farmer said, “We know it’s not fair! But we are afraid of them; we can sell our rice at Kyat 3,000 a tin at the market price. But now we have to give them at Kyat 2,500 a tin, accounting for a discount of Kyat 500 a tin.”
“The farmers are giving seven tins of rice for every acre they cultivate. The demand is very high as we can cultivate about 50 tins of rice. Sometimes we can cultivate only 30 tins of rice from an acre of land. Cultivation is totally dependant on the weather and the season. They increase our target every year,” said a farmer in Letpanchau village.
The junta has started purchasing rice from November 2008. But there is no explanation or information to the people regarding this. – Khonumthung News
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