Over 60 percent of land unusable for agriculture in Chin State

Delhi, India – 20 March 2014: Chin researcher Salai Vum Za Piang, aka Salai PP, highlighted during his presentation in Delhi, India that the vast majority of land in Chin State is unsuitable for cultivation.

The Chin member of Burma’s delegates travelling to the neighbouring country to participate in environmental training said that only about 33 percent can be used for agriculture-based business in Burma’s western state.

Salai PP, a researcher at the Myanmar Development Resource Institute, added that 67 percent of land in the country’s least developed state is unusable for agricultural purposes according to the research survey.

One of the main reasons cited is the region’s steep and rugged mountainous geography.

At his meeting with Chin refugee communities in the Indian city last week, he described poverty as one of the most serious challenges facing Chin people during Burma’s current political transition period.

He mentioned that Chin State has a migration issue triggered by poverty, adding: “It [poverty] has pushed us to go away from our native land to other countries.”

In his attempts to find possible solutions to problems facing people in Chin State, Salai PP put stress on the need for building and strengthening good community-based capacity.

During the Chin national conference held in Hakha in November last year, Salai PP had played an active part as one of the facilitators for sessions discussing issues related to economic development and infrastructure.#