13  May

SUGARCANE  plantations  in  Tae  Hla  Village  of  Than  Bo  vil-lage-tract,  Meiktila  Township,  have  been  successful  and  are  sold in the regional market daily, according to local cultivators.

U  Tin  Win  and  two  other  cultivators  received  help  from  the township agriculture depart-ment  and  ActionAid  Myanmar  to plant sugarcane species from Nay Pyi Taw. He says the project began  a  year  ago  and  is  quite  successful  now,  with  their  sug-arcane making its way into the regional market every day.

The sugarcanes are sold at K300 per piece at the wholesale venue  in  Meiktila.  There  are  sugarcane juice stalls along the Meiktila-Kyaukpadaung  road  and they purchase the plants at K400 a piece. They normally sell 40-50 bundles with 10 sugarcanes each every day.

U  Tin  Win,  said  they  send  more  than  that  number  to  the  wholesale venues. His plantation measures roughly 0.80 acre and currently  produces  about  7,000  canes.  He  predicts  he  will  get  to 10,000 canes for the first time. U Tin Win said he has invested K700,000 into the plantation.

Sugarcanes can be harvest-ed  up  to  three  times  but  culti-vators usually harvest only the second wave, which is said to be produce the best crops. —Chan Thar  (Meiktila)    (Translated  by Zaw Htet Oo)