Rice loans in Myanmar

ECLOF/Baptist Church partnership

In Myanmar, south-east Asia, ECLOF is helping traditional rice farmers escape the clutches of extreme poverty. ECLOF Myanmar in partnership with the Baptist Church is supporting five projects with the cultivation of paddy fields in a number of areas in the Ayeyarwady delta about 100 miles from Yangon, which was the country's capital until late March of this year. A development committee in each area is under the auspices of the Kayin Baptist Convention (KBC) and the Self-supporting Kayin Baptist Mission Society (SSKBMS), which was founded in 1912 and now has 14 area development committees in the country. The SSKBMS assists poor and displaced people with sustainable agriculture, animal breeding, sanitation, water provision, health care, education and other welfare needs. The society also provides training, appropriate technology and financial support. In 2005, the KBC/SSKBMS paddy cultivation projects received ECLOF loans totalling just over 42 million Myanmar kyats (US$49,500) directly benefit 339 farmers and their families.

All those involved live below the poverty line (around US$200 p.a.). Most finished their primary education but a number dropped out of secondary school in order to help their parents with their work. Although incomes are low, the land is good and the people generally enjoy good health. Socially, they live in extended families and work together as harmonious communities. Most of the project holders are Christian; 50% of them are women.

Previously, the rice farmers received government loans but these were stopped at the end of 2003. The farmers not only had to repay their loans but also sell their produce to the government, which fixed the price. This was much lower than the market price (kyat 300 per basket compared to kyat 1500 per basket). Now, the farmers are free to sell their produce on the open market, though they continue to need loans for seeds and other supplies in order to make a living, which is why they turned to ECLOF.

Cattle are used to thresh the rice plants, also called paddies. Here, the eldest son of Saw Htoo Phaw drives the animals. The family is part of the Pathein-Hinthada Area Development Community, which is made up of 100 households.

Winnowing takes place after threshing and removing the straw. Saw Htoo Phaw, who has four children, holds the sieve whilst his second son pours. His youngest son and a daughter are students.