International and domestic financial assistance will be made
available for elephant yam (locally called “Wa u”) plantations in areas
specified by the Chin state government.
‘The Mirror’ newspaper of the former military government reported
that on September 5, U Ohn Than, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and
Irrigation, responded to questions from U Stephen Tha Bik of the Chin
state constituency (4) regarding support for the elephant yam projects
in Chin state. He affirmed that elephant yam special plantation zones
are being implemented.
The report also said that the Environmental Conservation and Forestry
Ministry have been distributing elephant yam seeds in Victoria National
Park ('Natmataung' in local language) and its surrounding areas since
2010. Model project villages Okpo, Makyaukha, Zawyaung and Yelaungpan
have now developed 50 acres of land for elephant yam plantations.
Data collection led by the Chin state government since July reveals
that payments of seven lakh Kyats per acre for elephant yam plantations
and four lakh Kyats for monkey rice (zawngta) plantations will be
allotted in Tonzang Township, Chin state.
Agricultural loans from the central government cannot yet be granted
for elephant yam cultivation because their loans target major crops like
paddy, groundnut, sesame, pulses and beans, cotton, maize, oil mustard,
jute and sugarcane.
Elephant yam is widely cultivated in Chin state, according to a
resident of Matupi. Dry elephant yam is sold for 1,000 Kyats per
kilogram in local markets, while non-dry yam fetches 300 Kyats per
kilogram.
“Elephant yam can be planted in any area of the state. It grows
naturally in the jungle. I plant it myself, but local authorities said
the government cannot give loans for private cultivation,” said a local
grower.
A report published in June 2011 by the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) named Chin State as the poorest among Burma's 14
regions and states, with 73.3% percent of people living below the
poverty line.
As a result, tens of thousands of Chin refugees have arrived in
neighboring countries and destinations worldwide. The United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees in New Delhi, the capital of India, said
that Chins who applied for refugee status there are dealing with growing
numbers of children living without their parents. Khonumthung news
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