NAYPYIDAW -- More than a dozen villagers began to dig in the ground and make a stream in the small town of Kyauncone near the capital of Myanmar, as the signature song of the Saemaul Undong resonated, with the lyrics in Korean calling for diligence and cooperation in refurbishing the rural community. 

Their task was to open drainage ditches and pave the road that has long prohibited the passage of vehicles in rainy seasons. It was intended to take a page from the Saemaul Undong (New Village Movement) that unfolded in the 1970s in Korea, with the support of the Korea International Cooperation Agency. 

“As rainy seasons draw near, we decided to do this project through meetings of villagers so that cars and motorbikes pass by more easily,” said U Nyunt Shwe, the 57-year-old chairman of the committee on the movement in the town. 

The area is one of the 100 model villages selected for the Korean-inspired reform, with the people forced to move away from Naypyidaw as part of the country’s capital relocation plans around 2006. Of the total, 40 are around the capital, with the remainder spread across the nation.

The majority of the people make a living chiefly by cultivating rice, sesame and other crops, as well as raising cows, pigs, chickens and goats. 

Because of the poor road conditions, rice harvesting machines often break down, resulting in slow collection and thus low yields, Shwe noted. 

Since 2014, KOICA has been assisting with the Southeast Asian country’s rural development through the Saemaul Undong, pledging to funnel $22 million through 2019. 

The program includes the construction of the Saemaul Undong academy, providing related equipment and materials and training local community leaders at home and in Korea. 

The Saemaul Undong is part of Myanmar’s “100 days” reform program launched by the newly formed government under the National League for Democracy of the venerated Aung San Suu Kyi. 

An official at the country’s Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation said: “I think (Suu Kyi) is interested in (the Saemaul Undong), which would make its implementation easier.” 

“I want these communities to be integrated, productive, prosperous, vibrant, dynamic, commercialized and successful in their rural development,” said Tin Htut, the ministry’s permanent secretary. 

“Naypyidaw is a showcase for other regions in terms of Saemaul-fueled rural development.” 

As part of the agricultural drive, KOICA and Myanmar broke ground for a post-harvest research institute in Naypyidaw on June 7.

The $4.5 million project is aimed at curtailing losses of agricultural produce generated in the distribution process due to a lack of better storage, packaging, processing and other related technologies. 

Farm products account for 28 percent of national production and 23 percent of exports. Yet between 18 percent and 42 percent of the initial produce usually get thrown out before reaching customers, according to Minister Aung Thu. 

“To bring the harvest from farms to local and overseas markets, we need a change in our technologies for separation, packaging, storage, distribution and other stages to slash losses,” he said in his congratulatory remarks. 

“People are pursuing high quality, safe food all over the world, and that’s why we should research more on that.” 

The 30-strong think tank, which will be under Myanmar’s Department of Agricultural Research Institute, is expected to open as early as next summer, with nine departments in charge of developing the technologies, such as for packaging, processing and storing fruits and vegetables like mangos, avocados, potatoes and corn. 

After training at home, in Korea and in Vietnam through trilateral cooperation, the facility and operation would be handed over to the country’s government starting 2018, said Moon Sang-won, senior deputy representative at the KOICA Myanmar office. 

“We would look into how to stock as many and longest as possible in the current climate, with which Vietnam could help, so that we can ship more under worsened weather conditions and expand expiration dates of the fruits and vegetables,” said Yoon Ki-ho, the Korean adviser to the Department of Agriculture at the ministry.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)
Korea Herald Correspondent