U Hla Kyin registering to receive agricultural assistance provided by FAO with CERF funds (Image – FAO)

In 2018, heavy monsoon rains in July brought floods to many states and regions in central and south-eastern parts of Myanmar. According to the official statements, at least 22 people died and more than 155 000 people were displaced by this natural disaster at present year.

Ministry of Agriculture estimated that about 855 000 acres of agricultural land in total were damaged by flood and over 73 000 acres of farmland were flooded in Mon State which is the region regularly encounters the flooding. 

U Hla Kyin is a 71 year-old farmer who lives in Shwe Hlay Village, Mon State. On his only three-acre land, he grows rice and seasonal crops together with his 71 year-old wife.

“My two sons helped me in the fields before, but they are now working at the other side (Thailand) to earn more money for their future,” he said. “I can’t afford to hire anyone to help me. I grow the crops by myself,” he added.

Shwe Hlay is one of the villages in Mon State that was severely affected by the floods last July. Farmers finished growing the paddy fields in early of the month and the flood damaged the fields. After the first time flooding, they again continued to grow one more time – hoping to catch up with the monsoon paddy planting season, but unfortunately the floods hit the area again and farms are further destroyed.

“More than 75% of our village’s farmland had already been cultivated at that time. Our paddy fields were under the water for nearly one month. All we had grown were ruined.” U Hla Kyin said.

 “I was left with nothing to grow,” the old farmer said.

Realizing the emergency level of this situation, Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated the funding of about USD 850 000 to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in order to provide the essential agricultural assistance in Mon State, Kayin State and Bago Region.

“To support farmers to recover rapidly after the floods, agricultural assistance for the restoration of farmlands represents a critical opportunity for flood-affected regions in Myanmar,” said Mr Andrea Berloffa, Senior Resilience Officer of the FAO.

“The major need after the floods is the assistance both in cash or in kind that can help restoring their agriculture livelihood activities,” he said.

Through the distribution of agricultural inputs such as: fertilizers, green and black grams, vegetable seeds, etc., this humanitarian assistance will reach to more than 14 000 households – supporting them to re-establish their agricultural livelihood activities on their farmland once again when winter crop season comes.

“After hearing that we will receive the seeds and fertilizer from the FAO, I plot my land to be ready to grow right after getting them. My land won’t be empty in coming season,” the 71 year-old farmer said while putting the fertilizer bag onto his small hand-pull cart.