Paddy farming in parts of Arakan State impacted by low rainfall

By Admin 29 Jul 2023

DMG Newsroom
29 July 2023, Sittwe

Low rainfall during this year’s monsoon season is impacting paddy growing in Arakan State, which normally receives some of the heaviest rainfall among Myanmar’s regions and states, according to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.

The average rainfall in the Arakan State capital Sittwe was 168 inches in 2020, 170 inches in 2021 and 138 inches in 2022, but the township has received record low rainfall this year, with just over 50 inches from June to July 24, said U Hla Tun, director of the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.

Cracks in the ground have become a common sight in the paddy fields of northern Arakan State as a result of low rainfall, creating problems for local farmers.

“It has been more than 10 days since it last rained. It rained around five minutes yesterday. But it has been sunny since. It is not OK for growing paddy. The ground has cracked in some fields,” said farmer U Soe Naing Win from Maung Nyo Kyun Village in Mrauk-U Township.

Farmers in Thaetet Village, Ponnagyun Township, have reported a similar situation. 

“The paddy seeds we have grown are not growing. When it rains, it only rains for a few minutes,” said farmer U Tun Sein Thar from Thaetet Village.

Thaetet is located downstream of the Kaladan River in northern Ponnagyun Township. The village has more than 370 households that mainly engage in farming for their livelihoods.

Local farmers are concerned that the harvest looks likely to decline this year and they will suffer losses.

Farmer U Win Maung, from Pauktawpyin Village in Ponnagyun Township, said: “We haven’t had rain for a long time. So, we don’t have water to grow paddy.”

Farming is the main source of livelihood for some 75 percent of local people in rural parts of Arakan State. Last year, the paddy harvest declined by 50 percent from historical averages due to various factors including low rainfall.

Thi year’s below average rainfall came as another blow to farmers in northern Arakan State who were hit hard by Cyclone Mocha, which made landfall on May 14.

Myanmar is experiencing a shortened monsoon season, changing rain patterns, increased average temperatures and more cyclones in its coastal areas as a consequence of climate change, according to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.