Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Burmese president personally doing agricultural research on farms

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Tuesday, 21 June 2011 20:54 Salai Han Thar San

New Delhi (Mizzima) – Burma’s President Thein Sein is personally conducting research on agriculture and animal husbandry, ‘The Voice’ weekly journal has reported on its web site.

President Thein Sein of Burma Photo: AFP
Thein Aung, the chief minister of Irrawaddy Region, said in a ceremony to give farmers equipment in Yaykyi Township, Irrawaddy Region, that the president was conducting research at special farms in Naypyitaw, according to the journal.

‘Despite being president, he has conducted research on agriculture like a farmer and given his officials instructions to increase production on farms in accordance with his findings’, the web site quoted the chief minister as saying.
     
Thein Sein not only has grown rice and vegetables but also has done research in raising pigs and cows on the special farms. The president used cow dung and pig dung as natural fertilizer and generated electricity from the dung, Thein Aung said.
     
The web site also reported that Chief Minister Thein Aung said that when he visited Naypyitaw, Thein Sein occasionally invited him to visit the research farms.

On the other hand, many people doubt that former military officer Thein Sein is conducting any meaningful research in agriculture or animal husbandry.

Nay Myo Wai, the chairman of Peace and Diversity Party, from Bogale Township, Irrawaddy Region, said that he did not think it proper that the president was conducting research on agriculture.

‘I don’t like the fact that our leader is spending his time in farming. He himself doesn’t need to conduct the research. His work is to give instructions. If he conducts the research, it is wrong. If he instructs research teams to conduct the research, it is good’, Nay Myo Wai said.

Nay Myo Wai, an activist who promotes farmers’ rights, said his party is trying to put forward a bill to modify out-of-date agricultural laws in the Lower House.

Thein Sein, the fifth president of Burma, promised in his inauguration speech that the new government would enact up-to-date laws to promote farmers’ rights.

He also made a pledge that the new government would work for the development of agriculture and try to improve the quality of agricultural products and make prices reasonable.

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