Yangon region gov't drafts master plan for agricultural development

Myanmar's Yangon region government is drafting a master plan for development of agricultural mechanization to be implemented within three years, the official Global New Light of Myanmar reported Wednesday.

Yangon Region Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein told a workshop on promoting agricultural sector on Tuesday that the regional government has earmarked about 8 billion kyats (6.15 million U.S. dollars) to spend on the development of agricultural mechanization in the region as part of revitalization efforts for farmland.

He called for efforts to upgrade the agricultural sector with the use of modern ways to boost the weakening agricultural production.

The master plan also focuses on getting quality rice strains and producing value-added products for export.

Under the plan, irrigation will be extended in the 2017-18 fiscal year, the region's Agriculture, Livestock, Forest and Energy Minister U Han Tun also said, currently more than 700,000 acre-feet of water stored in a year in nine dams in the region have not been effectively used for irrigating farmland in summer and winter seasons.

Granting of agricultural loans to farmers sufficiently by establishing service centers in the region was also suggested in the workshop.

Yangon region has more than 2.5 million acres (over 1 million hectares) of farmland, according to statistics. Endit