More than 120 acres of confiscated farmland was returned to their original owners in Myittha, Mandalay Region yesterday bringing the amount of farmland released to farmers to 2,156 acres, state media reported on 16 May.
Speaking at the ceremony to return the farmland to 53 farmers that had been confiscated by the Ministry of Defence, Vice President U Henry Van Thio urged institutions concerned to continue to release the farmland they have confiscated as part of efforts for the development of the agricultural sector, on which more than 70 per cent of the rural population depends on for their livelihood.
The Vice President urged the farmers not only to grow crops for domestic food sufficiency but also to grow marketable crops for export.