Myanmar, Sagaing Region: Chinese lease plots for watermelons
“They leased farmland by paying Ks 400,000 (€246,-) per acre. So, we rented two acres of farmland to these Chinese growers and got over Ks 900,000 (€553,-),” said farmer Nyunt Maung. “Although we rented the farmlands for our livelihood, we have to worry about soil damage. We depend wholly on our farmland because we are only skilled at agriculture. We also have to be mindful about their fertilizer usage. We are groundnut growers so I think our fertilizer is different from Chinese fertilizers,” he added.
“The Chinese said that there was no soil damage. They also pledged to clean out the plastic bags. I’ve never rented out my farm before so I worry that my farmland will be damaged,” said another landowner.
But according to elevenmyanmar.com, researcher Dr. Nwe Ni Lwin from the Sein Lan Ah Mi Myay Development Association said that there will some amount of damage to the soil and suggested that farmers should not rent out their farmlands. Chinese businessmen have hired many land plots in Sagaing Region before, for earlier watermelon plantations.
