Hand-tractors required for cultivation reach Bogale

Mizzima News

Thursday, 05 June 2008 20:22

Bogale – Hand tractors sent by the Burmese military regime reached Bogale Township, in Pyapon District in Irrawaddy Division, one of the hardest cyclone-hit areas, today. The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation sent the 'Ayer-1' brand hand tractors in time for the monsoon season cultivation along with accessories and spare parts. The tractors were transported in about a 100 military trucks. The tractors reached Bogale this morning. Military trucks carried hand tractors for Bogalay Earlier, news had circulated that the authorities would send cattle to the villages in Bogale Township, but the cattle have not yet arrived. Some local residents said they could cultivate and grow paddy if they received the necessary farm inputs and assistance in time. "Although the fields are inundated by sea water, heavy monsoons would wash away the saline water and we could grow paddy if we manage to get all the inputs in time," a villager from Ayertan village in Bogale Township said. "The cyclone and surging tidal waves have destroyed our seeds and cattle. Now we have to plough 70 acres of rice fields with only two water buffaloes in turn. We have not yet received the seeds. We have ploughed our land in anticipation for growing paddy, as soon as we receive the seeds," he added. All the cyclone-hit villages in Bogale Township are still depending on the food donated by private donors. Cyclone Nargis hit Burma on May 2 and 3, and destroyed the towns and villages in Rangoon and Irrawaddy Divisions. After the cyclone, the fields were inundated in Irrawaddy Division, which is the major rice-producing region of Burma. In these affected areas, a lot of people died and a lot of cultivable land was also lost. < Prev   Next >