Vice Chairman of State Administration Council Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Commander-in-Chief (Army) Vice-Senior General Soe Win inspects defence services hospital, livestock breeding and training battalion, agriculture/livestock breeding tasks in Fort Bahtoo
NAY PYI TAW April 8
Vice Chairman of the State Administration Council Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Commander-in-Chief (Army) Vice-Senior General Soe Win, accompanied by wife Daw Than Than Nwe, Chief of General Staff (Army, Navy, and Air) General Maung Maung Aye and wife, senior military officers from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief and the commander of Eastern Command, inspected the defence services hospital, the livestock breeding and training battalion and agriculture/livestock breeding tasks in Bahtoo station in Shan State (South) this morning.
First, the Vice-Senior General and party arrived at the defence services hospital in Bahtoo and were greeted by the commandant and responsible officers of the hospital. Then, the Vice-Senior General and party viewed the monks, officers, other ranks, families and local residents who were receiving treatments at the hospital, asked after their health and spoke words of comfort to them individually while presenting foodstuffs for them.
Similarly, Daw Than Than Nwe, the wife of the Vice-Senior General and party went to the wards for women and children and viewed the patients while speaking words of comfort and presenting provisions to them.
Afterward, the Vice-Senior General and wife presented cash rewards for healthcare staff and cash donations for the hospital to the commandant. Then, the Vice-Senior General and party arrived at the three storey lecture building of the Tatmadaw (Army) Combat Forces School (Bahtoo) and heard reports on training issues, implementation of four military building tasks and agriculture and livestock breeding tasks of the Tatmadaw (Army) Combat Forces Training School (Bahtoo), the Tatmadaw (Army) Officer Training School (Bahtoo) and the Tatmadaw (Army) Warrant Officer and Sergeant Training School presented at the briefing hall by respective commandants. After hearing the reports, the Vice-Senior General asked questions on matters of interest and coordinated training issues and requirements for administration of the training schools.
Afterward, the Vice-Senior General and party proceeded to the livestock breeding and training battalion and inspected the development of a 55 acre model agriculture and livestock breeding zone, cultivation of seasonal crops and soil replacement crops, cultivation of crops in greenhouses and Jade variety tissuecultured bananas (fragrant bananas),the breeding of high pedigree DYL piglets and layers in landbased building above water and air-conditioned close buildings, dairy cows and beef cows. After the inspection, the ViceSenior General gave instructions to responsible officers to carry out agriculture and livestock breeding tasks successfully, to make meat, fish and vegetable available to officers and other ranks and families of battalions and units at cheaper prices than prevailing ones in the market and to distribute the surplus products to government employees and local people at cheaper prices in accordance with the instruction of the Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister, to make concerted efforts with the aim of achieving success as a model agriculture and livestock breeding zone, to take measures with the aim of distributing quality seeds and pedigree pigs under research to the entire Tatmadaw and to successfully conduct research on reproduction of Brahman beef cattle.
The Vice-Senior General also urged responsible officers to produce quality seeds from pumpkins, gourds, yard long beans, chilies, okra, mustard and aubergines cultivated in the zone and distribute them to battalions and units at cheaper prices of Ks-500 per packet, which are Ks-2,000 cheaper than prevailing market prices, so that families can enjoy a lot of benefits from the seeds and to take measure to coordinate with the quality seed production battalion, which has been assigned duties to produce quality seeds, as soon as possible.
It takes only three months for a 30- or 40-day old aubergine seedling to bear 15 to 20 fruits (about five visses). One viss of aubergine fetches about Ks-1,000 in the market. Similarly, it costs Ks-500 to buy a packet of about 1,000 chili seeds, which can produce enough chili for a barrack for six families and surplus can be sold. Chili plants grown from a packet of seeds can bear 70 viss of chili as a chili plant can bear 10 ticals of the fruit. As one viss of green chili fetches Ks-7,000, families in Bahtoo station can enjoy profits of Ks-400,000 if they cultivate chili properly. They have enjoyed benefits and earned extra incomes from cultivation of chili.
Then, the Vice-Senior General and party proceeded to the integrated farm (Bahtoo San) of the Tatmadaw (Army) Combat Forces Training School (Bahtoo) and inspected the cultivation of one acre of potatoes and eight acres of summer paddy by developing farmland after building a small dam with the assistance of the Irrigation and Water Utilization Management Department. The commandant and responsible officers of the Tatmadaw (Army) Combat Forces Training School (Bahtoo) reported to the Vice-Senior General on tasks being carried out. After hearing the reports, the Vice-Senior General asked questions on matters of interest and coordinated the needs.
Then, the Vice-Senior General and party proceeded to the integrated agriculture and livestock breeding farm of the Tatmadaw (Army) Officer Training School (Bahtoo) inspected the breeding of layers, broilers, DYL pigs and dairy cows and cultivation of seasonal crops and gave necessary instructions. The Vice-Senior General also inspected the seasonal crop farm and the dairy cow and pig breeding farms of the Tatmadaw (Army) Warrant Officer and Sergeant Training School and gave necessary instructions to responsible officers.