25 August
Sesame in drought-hit Magway Region are being harvested bringing jobs to local day-waged workers.
Harvesters working in group were getting daily income of up to K 30,000 per day per person.
Although new crops of sesame were being harvested, not much has entered the market yet and thus the prices were still being high.
U Myin Aung of Magway Myint Myat Taw Win Company predicts that sesame price will remain good. Last year GAP black sesame price was above K 70,000.
Township agriculture department, civil society and volunteer groups, Win Rock Project and Myint Myat Taw Win Company were helping local farmers with GAP system from planting to harvesting, said Magway Region Amyotha Hluttaw representative U Hla San.
Disasters in 2019 including drought have affected over 150,000 acres of crops including sesame and groundnuts and devastated about 10,000 acres, according to Magway Region Agricultural Department.
According to statistics, the drought brought farm stress to over 270,000 acres of groundnuts and over 1.3 million acres sesame grown this early monsoon season.
About 600 farmers from 17 villages in Magway Township and 13 villagers in Minbu Township are growing sesame on 1500 acres totally with the Good Agricultural Practice system. Of them, 80 per cent of each acre of the crop are affected by the drought, said U Naing Win Latt, Project In-charge of CP (Progetto Continenti) Myanmar.
About 70 tons of sesame grown with GAP system were exported to Japan and other countries in 2017 and about 88 tons in 2018.—U Win Maung (Translated by Zaw Min)
