Myanmar to Reclaim More Lands for C

[darnott@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Myanmar to Reclaim More Lands for Cultivation

Xinhua,  Rangoon, 13 September 2000. Myanmar is planning to reclaim more
fallow and virgin lands in four years' time beginning April2001, the start 
of the
next fiscal year.

The reclamation is to be made in the country's northernmost Kachin state
and northwestern Sagaing division where there are large areas of untapped
lands and resources, official newspaper The New Light of Myanmar reported
Wednesday.

Over 810,000 hectares of lands in the two regions will be reclaimed for
agricultural activities and livestock breeding on commercial scale, it said.

Since January 1999, a total of 467,370 hectares of vacant, virgin, fallow
and  wetlands in Myanmar's six divisions and states have been
reportedly reclaimed.

Myanmar has abundance of cultivable land stretching 18.22 million hectares,
of which only 9.31 million hectares are under cultivation while 8.91 million
hectares remained to be utilized.

The country's agriculture accounts for 37 percent of the gross domestic
product and 25 percent of the export value.

According to official statistics, in the fiscal year 1999-2000 which ended
in March, Myanmar yielded over 19.8 million tons of paddy out of over
6.07 million hectares cultivated, and exported 53,700 tons of rice in the
fiscal year.