Departmental officials and those involved in the farming sector should make collective efforts to effectively deal with the scarcity of farm workers in the local agro sector, said Dr. Aung Thu, Union Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, at a ceremony at Agricultural Research Department in Nay Pyi Taw on February 16. It will be difficult for a farmer to fully utilize modern technologies and equipments in all farming process. The collective effort, like the cooperative system, can overcome these difficulties. In addition to the assistance provided to farmers, it needs to encourage farmers to set up cooperative businesses in accordance with the laws, he added. Departments, private sector, farming cooperative societies and those involved in the farming sector should make efforts for the extensive use of farm equipments which can effectively solve a shortfall of farm workers. In addition, efforts should be made to ensure the high yield and quality of crops and the safety of consumers as well as to seek ways of how to increase farmers’ profits and income and investments. More than five million households in Myanmar are engaging in farming on about eight million hectares of farmland, he continued. Myanmar has many prospects for the improvement of paddy and fishing system. Currently, farming and livestock sector contributes to one-thirds of GDP. It also accounts for two-thirds of the employment and for one-thirds of foreign earnings. For the income generation and the survival of more than 70 per cent of the total population, the country has to rely mainly on paddy and fish as the major farm products, said Dr. Aung Thu. The government’s encouragement for the production of high-quality products would help support the government’s goal for poverty alleviation, rural development and nutritional development etc.