Dear Editor,

PLEASE permit me to share my views on malpractices allegedly taking place at the Burma Rice Research Station.It is alleged that the present administration and management of the Burma Rice Research Station are engaged is a lot of undesirable practices which contradict the guiding principles that govern the cultivation of basic and certificated seed paddy.

The allegation is that several seed fields which were heavily logged caused plants not to be properly cultivated. Many other fields were similarly not properly cultivated at the correct stage and time during the crop, and this resulted in the paddy harvested being contaminated with a high percentage of red rice, off-types and other varieties.

I was told that, based on directives given to a highly favoured but unqualified seed production officer, all the contaminated paddy was harvested and sent to the processing facility for drying and cleaning, for the purpose of being sold to farmers as high quality seed paddy.

A GRDB official who asked to remain unnamed told me that this is not the first time seed paddy that falls below the field inspection and quality standard analysis has been harvested, dried, cleaned, and sold to farmers as high quality seed paddy under some name called C3.

Paddy that does not pass field inspection and quality analysis must be sent to the mills for commercial purposes, and not sold as seed paddy. The farmers, the end users, are the persons who stand to suffer the most. If the above is true, the off-types, other varieties and red-rice will end up in farmers’ fields.

Farmers are already facing great challenges to manage increasing red-rice weed problems, with very little or no definitive solution to the problem forthcoming from the Burma Rice Research Station.

This alleged practice largely disregards the guidelines and ethics that govern the correct cultivation of seed paddy. This allegation is very serious, and the Minister of Agriculture and GRDB management should urgently investigate this matter.

It is time the Burma Rice Research Station undergo some structural changes to improve its efficiency and deliverables.
Faithfully,
T. ROSS