June 15,2022
AGRICULTURE and livestock are interrelated and benefit each other, said Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing in a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation at Agricultural Research Department in Zeyathiri Township of Nay Pyi Taw Council Area yesterday afternoon.
Officials reported on agricultural and research work, distribution of quality seeds of crops to farmers in 2020- 2021 and 2021-2022 financial years, conducting the research for the production of quality seasonal crops and industrial crops, the establishment of mechanical, agricultural and vocational training schools, conducting of agricultural and livestock diploma courses.
Union ministers and the chairman of Nay Pyi Taw Council gave supplementary reports on respective sectors.
At the meeting, the Senior General delivered a speech, saying that agro-based industries are being operated in the nation.
The agricultural sector contributes much to Gross Domestic Products-GDP. The Senior General stressed the need to increase the per-acre yield of agricultural produce and enhance the quality of products. Hence, farmers need to use quality strains of crops through research. They have to ensure the use of quality strains of crops, nutritious fertilizer, water sufficiency and high agricultural techniques. Depending on these facts, the per-acre yield of crops will be different. In fact, agricultural research is of importance in the nation.
Research needs to be conducted for having quality strains of crops with seawater resilience, and climatic conditions in addition to high per-acre yield. Agriculture and livestock are interrelated and benefit each other. Agricultural produce can be shifted as feedstuff and waste from cattle can be used as bio-fertilizers. Hence, research must be conducted on the production of fertilizers. Moreover, research must cover the efficient use of water in agricultural tasks.
The Senior General said that there are 33 million acres of sown acreage, 14 million acres of monsoon paddy and some three million acres of summer paddy. If crops can be grown on that land through a double-cropping system, paddy production will increase.
If the institutions turn out professionals in the agriculture and livestock sectors, human resources for these sectors will be adequate for operations. Technical training schools will be established in newly-formed districts with a plan for outstanding students to have access to higher studies.
In Myanmar, the Senior General noted that each person needs the consumption of 2.25 ticals of cooking oil. The country requires 600,000 to 700,000 tonnes of cooking oil per year. Apart from domestic edible oil production, the country imports 800,000 to 900,000 tonnes per year due to the high consumption of oil. If local farmers expand the cultivation of edible oil crops, it will contribute a great deal to local oil sufficiency.
The Senior General continued to say that agriculture is an important livelihood of the local people across the nation. He urged all to systematically conduct the research tasks to benefit the nation. If so, the yield of agricultural produce will increase and it will much benefit the country. The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation should strive for the development of the agricultural sector.
The Senior General presented cash awards to staff from the Agricultural Research Department for their achievements.
The Department of Agricultural Research was established in Gyogon of Insein Township in 1954 as agricultural research Beikman. It was moved to Yezin of Pyinmana Township in 1971. In 2004, it was separately established as the Department of Agricultural Research. It opens seven research centres and 11 research farms in regions and states. During the period from 1954 to 2020, the department produced 253 sorts of crops. In the 2020-21 and 2021-22FY, the department focuses on research on 37 kinds of crops. The seed bank of the department was built in 1990. At present, the bank stores varieties of paddy, wild paddy, pulses and beans, cereal crops, edible oil crops, vegetables and other crops, totalling 12,838. Up to now, the department has distributed 24,777 kinds of genes for crops to local and foreign organizations. —MNA
