Mandalay Regional Government will fine fish breeding ponds that use farmland about one million kyats

Mandalay Regional Government issued a notice stating that it will fine fishery ponds for using farmland. The notice indicated the fine would be one million kyats. The stakeholders in the industry appealed to the Union Government. Dr. Aung Thu, Union Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, promised that he will help negotiate between the two parties: fish breeders and the regional governments.

“The Minister released a notification to allow farmland to be used for other purposes such as fish ponds,” Howeve, the Mandalay Regional Government has included a one million kyat fine for the fish breeders when applying for legal status. The union minister, therefore, promised us he will hold a meeting with regional ministers since the notice from the regional government is differ from the original course,’’ said U Win Kyaing, General Secretary of Myanmar Fishery Federation.

According to the procedure, only the union level farmland management committee steered by the union minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, has the authority to fine.

The regional governments only have the authority to manage the farmland in accordance with existing laws.

There are around 7,000 acres of fish breeding ponds built on farmland. If the one million kayt fine per acre is enforced, it would amount to K7 billion.

In 2012, government enacted a farmland law which bans any applications for farmland to be used for other purposes, this has caused difficulties for fish breeding ponds built on farmlands.

(Myanmar Business Today: https://www.mmbiztoday.com/articles/ministry-fines-fish-breeding-ponds )

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