Floods cripple harvest

A flooded rice field in Bhamo Township, Kachin State (Photo-Zay Ya/EMG)

More than 310,000 acres, including 24,000 acres of cultivated land, have been flooded since June, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation.

Sagaing Region was hardest hit with around 110,000 acres submerged. Bago and Ayeyawady regions saw 71,400 and 53,000 acres flooded, respectively.

A total of 24,100 acres of arable land across the country has been destroyed, including 18,300 acres in Sagaing Region, 3,500 in Kachin State, 1,440 in Rakhine State and 750 in Bago Region.

Likewise, two months of torrential rain have damaged over 63,300 acres of farmland, including 49,800 acres in Sagaing and 8,300 in Kachin, according to the ministry.

Since the first week of July, the ministry has advised farmers to take precautionary measures. Some dams and reservoirs are also overflowing.

http://elevenmyanmar.com/local/floods-cripple-harvest

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