Maung Tin Win (Maung)

This is U Maung Tin Win (Maung). He lives with his wife and 9 year-old son in Zay Di Gone village, a small village near Mrauk U, Rakhine State in Myanmar.

Vegetables and flowers instead of rice

Maung owns a paddy (rice) farm, which his wife managed mostly, because Maung worked in Thailand, where he could earn more. When he came back to Myanmar, Maung decided to make a big change: He started growing vegetables and flowers instead of rice. He experimented with hot pepper and several growing methods. That resulted in a good harvest and a nice profit, that supported him in his decision to continue in the new direction.

Growing in the rainy season and inspiring otherfarmers to do the same

Shortly after his first success, Maung visited an East-West Seed field day in Kyauk Pone Seik near Mrauk U. He learned about new technologies and applied them in his own field. This newly acquired knowledge helped him to grow vegetables throughout the year, including during the rainy season and winter, which will contribute a lot to increasing his family income. Until that day, he had never been able to grow during the rainy season. Now, Maung is an inspiration to his neighbours, who learn from him and copy his improved growing methods.

Demonstration farm

Recently, Maung decided to set up a demonstration farm, to continue improving his own results and those of his neighbours. He asked for support from the East-West Seed knowledge transfer staff and with their help he can introduce new techniques such as plastic mulching during rainy season. The East-West Seed knowledge transfer workers visit Maung’s demonstration once a week now, to coach him and his neighbour farmers towards further improved growing practices, higher yields and increased family income.