Myanmar farmers are adapting with modern agricultural technologies, and they have switched from the manual to the mechanized farming, increasing the output of rice, and meeting the domestic demand.
Since Myanmar is an agricultural country, more than 70 per cent of the country’s population is farmers, and in order to improve the lives of farmers, the government changed the manual farming system to a mechanized farming. In addition to monsoon farming, irrigated farming has been introduced by using dams, solar system irrigation, and underground water tapping to enable cultivation for the whole year.
From the previous system of monoculture farming per year, now double and triple cropping systems and mixed-cropping are expanded to increase the yield and planting methods. Officials from the Department of Agriculture in various townships have educated the farmers the methods of applying compost and fertilizers proportionately and demonstrated planting in the agricultural offices and in field.
In addition, the government is implementing the rural area development and poverty reduction projects as a national goal, developing the agricultural sector and improving the socioeconomic life of farmers. Therefore, the work of cultivation, planting, seedling, and harvesting used to be carried out by humans are replaced with modern agricultural machinery such as power-tillers, paddy transplanting machines, combine harvesters and tractors. Instead of the old varieties of paddy pedigrees, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Agricultural Research jointly produced Hsin Thukha-1, Hsin Thukha-2, Hsin Thukha-3, Hsin Thukha-4, Shweyitoe, YMR-20 rice varieties and medium-grain high-quality rice varieties such as Sarphotha, Thai Hnankauk and GW-11 rice varieties. Previously, 60 or 70 baskets of paddy per acre were produced but now the rate of rice production has improved significantly, and the output has increased from 90 to 120 baskets per acre. — Zaya Htet (Minbu)/TKO
