and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society.— June, 1912. 



557 



THE RICE IN DUSTR Y IN BURMA. 



The cultivation of and trade in rice (paddy) 

 in Burma, though in some respects resembling 

 the system in vogue in Ceylon, are much in ad- 

 vance of local methods — as we gather from a re- 

 port in the Indian Trade Journal. It is as- 

 tonishing to find how little " business " is done 

 here, and what an important trade exists there. 

 Rice cultivation as carried on in Burma may 

 consist of one of four crops:— (l) An early-rain 

 paddy yielding a small crop harvested in Sep- 

 tember ; (2) A late-rain crop harvested in Nov., 

 consisting of a short-lived paddy grown on 

 high-lands where water is limited, or in small 

 areas on most farms to supply an early supply 

 of grain for home consumption and to provide 

 for repayment of debts; (3) A long-lived late- 

 rain crop which is the most regular and im- 

 portant cultivation of the country ; (4.) Dry 

 weather paddy raised where conditions in re- 

 spect of water supply are favourable. 



Ploughing for the main crop (No. 3) begins 

 in June just after the first rains, when nurseries 

 are sown for transplanting in July- August. 

 The harvest begins in November and goes on 

 according to locality till January. 



Reaping is done by hand, and for taking in 

 the crop Indian labour is drawn upon— as the 

 indigenous population is inadequate to cope 

 with the extensive operations. 



The Burman soil is of extraordinary fertility 

 being renovated by annual deposits of silt. 

 The climate is peculiarly constant, and adverse 

 climatic conditions, which induce famines, are 

 practically unknown. Crops are thus compara- 

 tively easily raised, and the yield obtained is 

 as a rule over and above the requirements of 

 the cultivator and his family. But the major 

 part of the grain crop has to be turned into 

 cash at once to meet the demands of the money 

 lender (as well as of Government) since most 

 of the cultivators are in debt, the causes of 

 which it is not necessary to go into fully here. 

 The Director of Agriculture (Mr. Clayton) has, 

 however, given it as his opinion that indebted- 

 ness is mainly due to the rapid transition from 

 conditions of self-sufficing natural economy 

 to those of fully developed money economy at- 

 tended by the commercialisation of agriculture. 

 At the time of the British occupatiou paddy 

 cultivation was limited; the grain was worth 

 only Rs.10 to Rs.20 per 100 baskets (5,000 lb.) 

 But a rapid development of the paddy industry 

 followed, and the necessary capital had to be 

 borrowed at exorbitant rates of interest. 



The rapidity of this development may be 

 gathered from the fact that whereas 20 years 



ago the average export averaged 839,000 tons, in 

 1810-11, the export of husked paddy alone from 

 Burma averaged for the 3 years ending 1910-11 

 no less than 1,450,000 tons. The recent rise in 

 price has also been extraordinary. The aver- 

 age price of paddy in Rangoon in the three 

 harvest months (January to March) during the 

 ten years 1901-1910 was Rs. 106 per 100 baskets 

 of 46 lb. each. In 1911 it rose to Rs.146. These 

 high rates have induced such reckless selling 

 (with attendant hardships) that it has been seri- 

 ously considered whether official interference 

 should not restrict exportation — particularly in 

 view of the fact that it is not the cultivator 

 who is the gainer by high prices. The millers 

 usually purchase through brokers who advance 

 money to the cultivators, and complete their 

 purchases at the harvest. It is the middleman 

 who always comes off best by the transaction. 

 The rate of purchase varies according to length 

 of time before harvest, price likely to rule at 

 harvest and the status of the borrower. It may 

 vary from Rs. 30 to Rs. 80 per 100 baskets. The 

 operation of co-operative Societies now being 

 established is likely to minimise the evils that 

 follow from this lack of capital. From the 

 threshing floor (where threshing is done much 

 in the same way as in Ceylon) the paddy is 

 commonly transported in bulk. If carts are 

 used, they are lined with matting; but most 

 of the paddy going to seaports is carried by 

 boat. Much of the rail-carried grain is also 

 conveyed in bulk, being stored in covered 

 waggons with drop-doors. Some of the railway 

 lines, however, insist on bagged paddy. 



D uring the harvest months the congestion at 

 all channels of exportation is so intense, that 

 mountains of paddy, consisting of thousands of 

 tons, are to be seen along the line waiting for 

 freight. They lie in the open and generally 

 quite unprotected from the weather. On the 

 top of each mound is stuck a pole carrying a 

 lamp for night watching— the watchman usually 

 making his couch on the top of the pile. As 

 may be expected there is considerable loss by 

 night under these circumstances. One wonders 

 howsuch a risky— almost reckless— system oame 

 into practice. The reason is no doubt that the 

 cultivator needs a considerable sum at harvest 

 to meet the demands of the money-lender, and 

 the Revenue Officer (the Government, be it said 

 to its credit, rarely pressiug till about March, and 

 at times allowing further time to admit of the 

 cultivator holding on for better prices), while 

 there are no facilities for safe storage. 



And here in Ceylon, which in days gone by 

 is said to have supplied India, we are importing 

 instead of exporting rice ! 



