INCREASING income and improving the quality of life – these are the goals of a development project now being carried out in three villages in Hlegu township, about 50 kilometres north of Yangon.

The program, carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MOAI) and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), includes training in growing the vegetables, rice and peanuts that are local staples; the care of livestock like pigs, chickens and ducks; and the improvement of infrastructure like schools, community centres and roads.

The three villages – Kha Yaung, Sa Khang Gyi and Kyauk Kha Din – comprise about 900 households with about 4000 people. Of the three, Kyauk Kha Din has the highest standard of living and Kha Yaung, which is far from the road, the lowest.

MOAI manager U Htun Paw told The Myanmar Times that the project focuses mainly on the villages’ overall development. Data analysis of what the villages need most is carried out by MOAI in cooperation with KOICA (Myanmar).

In the first phase of the project, KOICA and MOAI is offering training in Pyin Oo Lwin to more than 30 trainees, including 26 villagers and five staff from MOAI, from September 8 to 16. Another 10-day training session will be held at the end of this month.

Young women scheduled to undergo training in October will learn about different kinds of employment, and will visit a coffee farm and factory, a silk factory, a vegetable farm and a nursery. Many young women from the township work in the garment trade and food processing.

U Aung Naing Oo, 42, a farmer from Ka Yaung, told The Myanmar Times that not enough fertiliser was available to provide three bags for 12 acres of paddy fields. More fertiliser would produce higher yields.

“I expect to raise my living standards and income because of this project. We can get benefits and opportunities directly and indirectly from the training,” he said.

Farmer U Mya Lwin, 43, who lives in Kyauk Kha Din village, said he also expected to see improvements from the program, but added: “Five years ago, soil conditions were good for growing paddy. But we are now facing difficulties like soil erosion. The main reason is the shortage of quality fertiliser. For that we need money – and that’s where the vicious circle begins.

“Now I’m starting to think about changing profession, like going in for buying and selling. That depends on how much capital you have. The more you invest, the more you can get. Some of a grower’s difficulties are natural disasters that cannot be avoided.”

“KOICA chose Hlegu as the project area because it is close to Yangon and is a considerable rice production area,” said U Htun Paw, manger of the ministry’s Myanma Agriculture Services, adding that both organisations will provide the necessary technology and equipment, and will follow up to see how villagers make use of it.