Food shortages hit villages in Chin State

10 March 2014: Dozens of villages in Thantlang, Matupi and Paletwa townships are facing renewed food shortages following bad weather conditions and low yields of harvest.

About 30 villages along the India-Burma border are now in a difficult situation as they are running out of rice, according to local media reports.

A subsistence farmer in Tisi, Matupi township said in the Khonumthung news that only about 2 out of 70 households in his village have got enough food.

The village head of La-aw in Thantlang township told the Chinland Post that his 320 villagers, domiciled in 50 households, are suffering from food and water scarcity, adding: “Some of them [the villagers] are in despair and are even thinking about abandoning the village.”

Chin subsistence farmers consider unusual weather to be the factor affecting their crops and causing low yields from the harvest.

The La-aw village head also said: “We don’t have any educated person in our village and don’t know how to get assistance from the State government or NGOs working in Chin State.”

A Christian pastor based in Pathiantlang village, Paletwa Township said that the UNDP provided rice in Paletwa areas but the cost of transportation per bag [about 50 kg] up to their village is over 30,000 Kyats, adding: “They cannot afford it and it is not easy to get rice from the Indian side either.”

Late last year, local NGOs in Chin State in collaboration with Hakha-based UNDP started assisting the construction of food storage for 30 villages in the three Chin townships.

Chinland Guardian is unable to reach the Chin State government for comment on the ongoing issue.#