Nearly 300 acres of farmland in Pabechaung village in Kyauktaw Township cannot be cultivated to grow paddy because No.539 Light Infantry Regiment, which has been positioned near the village, prohibited farmers to do cultivation, a villager said.

The majority of people in Pabechaung village are farmers and they requested the regiment to do cultivation in a timely fashion, but they were not allowed to plough the land to grow monsoon paddy, said U Than Win, local resident of Pabechaung village.

“We have to grow paddy based on seasonal weather condition. If we plough too late, we cannot grow paddy. So, we requested permission from the army to do cultivation on our farmland, but we were told that we were not allowed to work the land because we were told that we are from a rebel’s village,” he said.

Because of the ban, issued by the Burmese military, farmers are now jobless and will encounter difficulties repaying their agricultural loans.

The DMG called Maj-Gen Tun Tun Nyi from the Tatmadaw True News Information Team about the Tatmadaw’s restrictions on farmers, he responded that we should ask authorities of the region’s administration department.

The DMG called the administrator of Kyauktaw Township, but he could not be reached.

Since a curfew order has been imposed in Rathedaung, Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Buthidaung and Maungdaw Townships in northern Arakan State, farmers find it difficult to do cultivation work and some of them are doing cultivation work on their farmland at night, according to the Arakan State Farmers’ Union.

“Farmers are worried that something bad might occur, including armed confrontations. So, they keep guard over their farms while cultivation work is underway. These situations can be seen on farms near the road,” said U Kyaw Zan, chairperson of the Arakan State Farmers’ Union.

Due to the ongoing clashes in northern Arakan State, about one million acres of farmland are not ready to grow paddy, the union said.