STATE Administration Council Vice-Chairman Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win emphasized that to ensure the food, beverages, and consumer goods produced within the region are sufficient for the local population, the Taikkyi Livestock Farming Zone must be envisioned not only as a resource for regional consumption but also as a potential export hub, achievable through the yearly establishment and implementation of systematic and effective plans.
The Vice-Chairman of the State Administration Council made these remarks during his visit yesterday to the Taikkyi Livestock Farming Zone, which is currently under construction, to meet with entrepreneurs authorized to operate livestock businesses in the zone, as well as departmental officials from Taikkyi Township. The zone, spanning 2,101.04 acres, began livestock activities in sections on 3 September 2023, and is currently conducting ongoing farming operations. The Deputy Prime Minister was accompanied by Yangon Region Chief Minister U Soe Thein, senior military officers from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, the Yangon Command Commander and officials.
He stated that, with two political objectives and two national objectives guiding its efforts, the council is successfully implementing the national goals of prosperity and food security, emphasizing the need for the successful implementation of the Taikkyi Livestock Farming Zone to support regional food security, especially because Yangon Region, with over 7.3 million people, relies on agricultural and livestock products from other regions due to insufficient local production, and the Prime Minister has instructed the systematic expansion of agricultural and livestock activities by zone to address this issue.
He also emphasized that relevant departmental staff should provide necessary assistance, suggestions, and arrangements to facilitate smooth livestock operations for entrepreneurs investing in the livestock zone, while also urging officials to collaborate in preventing diseases in livestock farming. Since animals are raised, biosecurity is of paramount importance, requiring an understanding of the ecosystem and the implementation of preventive measures from the outset to address biological infections transmitted through unregulated human movement and animal-to-animal contact.
The Deputy Prime Minister instructed that sufficient food must be provided for animals raised using free-range, battery, and hybrid systems, emphasizing the need to continuously grow and produce necessary animal feed and supplements within the zone, while urging entrepreneurs to focus on systematic and scientific livestock breeding aligned with their designated business sectors to promptly fulfill the zone’s targets and ensure activities remain relevant.
He remarked that the regional government has provided water and electricity, suggesting that entrepreneurs independently generate solar energy if electricity is insufficient, and emphasized the need, as directed by the Prime Minister, to begin planting large, fast-growing trees in a zigzag pattern this rainy season to protect animals and buildings from natural disasters.
He encouraged utilizing regional government capital, MSME loans, and national economic development funds to implement activities within the zone, emphasizing the importance of repaying loans within the specified period and urging all parties to collaborate with determination, diligence, and hard work to develop the zone to meet international standards.
The Deputy Prime Minister and his party inspected the construction sites of relevant companies in the zone, including poultry farms and other livestock facilities, before proceeding to Yangon Command’s No 4 Agriculture and Livestock Camp.
The commander reported on the multi-purpose farming and livestock camps at the regional headquarters, the implementation of the Head of State’s instructions, the command’s agricultural and livestock activities, and the distribution of meat, fish, vegetables, eggs, and milk at reasonable prices to officers, military families, veterans, police, and residents.
After hearing the report, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the need for food products from the camps to be fresh and nutritious, the importance of multi-agricultural and livestock activities aimed at providing goods to military personnel and civil servants at prices lower than the external market, prioritizing welfare over profit, feeding animals systematically, taking measures to prevent infectious diseases, consulting medical and livestock experts for healthy products, and systematically planning and implementing strategies to increase production to ensure sufficient food and water for all military personnel and their families within the command, ultimately achieving a surplus, while also providing necessary guidance.
The SAC Vice-Chairman and his party inspected the dairy cattle rearing conditions at the No 4 Agriculture and Livestock Camp, as well as the Novogen Brown layers, high-quality meat pigs with an evaporated cooling system, and Khaki Campbell ducks at the No 3 Agriculture and Livestock Camp, providing instructions to responsible persons to take necessary measures. — MNA/ TH
