VZCZCXRO7860
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHCI #0095/01 0781119
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 181119Z MAR 08
FM AMCONSUL KOLKATA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1925
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHGO/AMEMBASSY RANGOON 0411
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0058
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0093
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME 0021
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 2353

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KOLKATA 000095 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM EAID PREF PGOV EAGR IN BG BM
SUBJECT: IN MIZORAM AND BURMA BAMBOO FLOWERING MAY BRING FAMINE 
 
REF: A) KOLKATA 07 00353, B) DHAKA 00110 
 
KOLKATA 00000095  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1.  (U) This is an action request.  Please see paragraph 13. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Summary:  The Northeast Indian state of Mizoram, 
wedged between Burma and Bangladesh, is at the height of an 
acute food and grain shortage due to the destruction of crops by 
an exploding rat population.  Approximately every 50 years, the 
flowering of a species of bamboo leads to a significant growth 
in the rodent population, which devastates crops including rice, 
the Mizo's dietary staple.  The latest cycle of bamboo flowering 
began in 2005 and is now reaching its peak.  The Government of 
Mizoram (GOM) has declared the state a disaster area and has 
sought GOI assistance in meeting assistance needs.  The GOI has 
provided some relief, but more is required.  In particular, 
Burmese Chin villagers living along the border in both India and 
Burma are facing a severe food shortage, and there are claims 
that some are on the verge of starvation.  Post believes USG 
efforts should be made to assess the situation in Mizoram and if 
warranted provide humanitarian assistance for this regional 
problem.  End Summary. 
---------------- 
Mautam Descends 
--------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) The Northeast Indian state of Mizoram, wedged between 
Burma and Bangladesh, is suffering an acute shortage of food 
grain due to the destruction of crops by rats.  Nearly 93 
percent of the state is covered with a single species of bamboo 
that flowers every 48 years - a phenomenon called "Mautam." 
When the flowers appear, the plant produces fruit whose seeds 
are eaten by jungle rats.  The proliferation of the flowers and 
fruit results in a sharp increase in the rat and insect 
populations which devour crops and stored grains in the state. 
The ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), which came into being 
following the last Mautam in the 1950s declared the state a 
"disaster area," and has sought an additional Rs. 187 crore (USD 
46 million) from the Central Government. 
 
------------- 
A Flawed Plan 
------------- 
 
¶4.  (U) On March 3, PolOff met with Mizoram Director for Food, 
Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs T. B. C. Rozara, who outlined 
the discussions between the GOM and the GOI on managing the food 
crisis.  In 2004-2005 in anticipation of the Mautam, the GOM 
submitted a plan for maintaining food supplies, known as the 
Bamboo Flowering and Famine Combat Scheme (BAFFACOS), to the 
GOI.  The BAFFACOS included an attempt at increasing Mizo 
purchasing power and diversification by shifting crop production 
to durable, tradable items such as turmeric and ginger, which 
were considered "rat proof."  (Note:  Traditionally, Mizo 
farming practices were single crop, slash and burn operations, 
known as "jhum cultivation."  End Note.).  The GOM also began 
construction of warehouses for food storage and encouraged 
people to invest, to save money, and to purchase supplies to 
prepare for the food shortage.  Over the past two years, the GOI 
gave grants of over Rs. 100 crore (USD 25 million) to enhance 
Mizo purchasing power.  In 2007, the state doubled wages for 
farmers under BAFFACOS and increased the rice quota from 2 to 3 
kilograms per adult per week.  The GOM also offered a reward of 
one rupee for every rat killed. 
 
¶5.  (U) BAFFACOS has fallen short of the people's needs. 
Presently, the GOI provides 6,640 metric tons of food grains per 
month to the Mizoram Public Distribution System (PDS).  The GOI 
provides food grains to State governments at separate prices for 
Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty Line (APL) families. 
The Central Issue Price (CIP) for rice for distribution to BPL 
families is Rs. 565 per quintal (a quintal is 100 kg) (approx. 
USD 145/metric ton) and for APL families is Rs. 830 per quintal 
(approx. USD 210/metric ton).  Rice is available at Rs. 5.65 
(USD .14) per kg for BPL families and for Rs. 9.30 (USD .23) per 
kg for APL families at ration shops under the PDS across Mizoram 
as against Rs. 18 (USD .45) to RS. 20 (USD .50) per kg in the 
open market. 
 
¶6.  (U) As per GOI rules, each family is allotted only 35 kg of 
rice per week through the PDS.  This quantity is not sufficient 
for families in Mizoram as the average family size is large (5-6 
persons per family) and rice - the dietary staple - is eaten 
three times per day.  Since November 2007, the GOM has been 
purchasing an additional 5,000 metric tons per month at Rs. 1445 
per quintal (approx. USD 360/metric ton) to meet the shortfall 
 
KOLKATA 00000095  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
in supply.  (Note:  According to ration card figures from the 
PDS, the dependent population numbers roughly 1.1 million.  End 
Note.).  The additional supply of rice is distributed through 
the ration shops and is made available to BPL and APL families 
at the regular PDS prices, with the State government absorbing 
the cost differential.  However, the problem is that even though 
rice is available, most BPL families do not have the purchasing 
power to buy additional quantities.  (Note: In the last year, 
the world price of rice has risen considerably, with prices of 
up to USD 500/metric ton for rice being exported out of 
Thailand, for example.  End Note.).  Rozara said his department 
compiles weekly reports on families facing food shortages. 
 
¶7.  (U) Rozara was realistic about the efficacy of the BAFFACOS 
plan, saying that there were some success stories but also many 
failures.  He pointed out that corruption, endemic to India, 
diverted some funds from their intended purposes.  Compounding 
the problem is Mizoram's lack of infrastructure.  There is only 
one major road connecting Mizoram to the rest of the Northeast 
and India - connecting through Assam and Meghalaya.  There is 
also a narrow gauge railway line (currently under conversion to 
the standard broad gauge) as well.  Travel from the capital, 
Aizawl, to the Burma border takes at least six hours by car. 
Dean of Aizawl University Professor Lianzeala commented to 
Poloff that the BAFFACOS plan was a good one, but that the GOM 
had not taken into account the inadequate infrastructure for 
transportation to markets, the lack of proper marketing of new 
products, and inherent corruption in the system.  As a result, 
most Mizos quickly lost confidence in the GOM's scheme. 
 
------------- 
Who Can Help? 
------------- 
 
¶8.  (U) Much of Mizoram's public welfare system is run by a 
combination of church activism and the non-government Young Mizo 
Association (YMA), which acts as a de facto civilian arm of the 
government.  GOM officials state openly that they depend on the 
YMA and church groups to "reach" people in rural districts.  The 
YMA has set up a fairly efficient distribution system where 
villages and families all contribute to the well-being of their 
neighbors.  It is also active in raising awareness and education 
on social issues, including AIDS, domestic violence, and drug 
abuse.  Poloff met with three YMA leaders who assessed the GOM 
response to the food crisis as "inadequate."  They believed that 
the GOM should have provided more seeds to farmers and 
recognized the connectivity problems in getting assistance to 
rural areas.  They also observed that the GOM response was 
long-term, geared at changing agricultural practices in the 
state, and did not meet immediate food needs. 
 
¶9.  (U) YMA leadership takes a dim view of Burmese migrants from 
Chin state, although the Burmese are ethnically identical to 
Mizos.  A commonly held view is that the Chin migrants are 
responsible for a range of social and economic ills in Mizoram - 
the growing crime and unemployment rates, increasing IV drug 
use, and crowding, among others. 
 
----------------------------- 
For Burmese Chins, It's Worse 
----------------------------- 
¶10.  (SBU) Post has reported on the difficult situation of 
Burmese Chins living in Mizoram (reftel A).  Burma's Chin state 
borders Mizoram to the east.  Chairman of the Chin National 
Council (CNC) Salai Chinzah, who traveled 14 hours by road from 
Mizoram's southern town of Saiha to meet with Poloff, said 
Burmese Chin villagers living along the border are facing food 
scarcity and are on the verge of starvation.  Chinzah estimates 
that half of Chin state in Burma is covered by bamboo.  He said 
that UNDP representatives had come to collect data on the bamboo 
flowering problem, and that an NGO called the Chin Christian 
Relief Committee had set up an office in Aizawl on February 20 
to assist Chins with relief management.  Poloff inquired about 
other organizations able to offer/channel assistance to Burma, 
and Chinzah listed:  the Zomi Baptist Association (works in 
Champai and northern Chin state), the Christian Baptist 
Association, the Mara Evangelical Church, the Mara Youth 
Association (MTP), the Mara People's Party (NZMPP), the Zomi 
National Congress, the Chin National League for Democracy, Aid 
Zomi (a local NGO), and the Zomi Economic Planning and 
Development Association (ZEPADA).  He also noted that a Japanese 
NGO had provided 40 tons of food grain, routed from Kolkata 
through the NE state of Manipur and into Burma. 
 
 
KOLKATA 00000095  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Chinzah insisted that the Chins are aware of "the 
U.S. interest in helping the Chin people," and that they are 
waiting for a response from the U.S. Government.  He showed 
Poloff a list of 38 people from six households in Chin state who 
had migrated to Mizoram in search of food.  Chinzah says he is 
collecting more names of people being displaced by the Mautam 
and will provide it to PolOff.  Chinzah recognized that the GOM 
assistance was meant for Mizo people only, not Chins. 
 
¶12.  (SBU) Embassy Rangoon Comment:  We have alerted WFP to the 
problem, which will send a Burmese employee to Chin State to 
make a "small assessment."  Access for foreigners to make 
assessments in Chin State will be difficult due to Burmese 
military restrictions on access for humanitarian assistance 
providers.  The pre-dominantly Christian Chin are among the 
poorest ethnic minorities in Burma.  They are also very 
pro-American due to their past experiences with American 
missionaries.  Due to access problems inside Burma the best way 
to get assistance to them may be across the border through 
Mizoram. 
 
-------------- 
Action Request 
-------------- 
¶13.  (U) Based on our PolOff's observations in Mizoram and 
Reftel B, Post has identified:  1) a growing lack of affordable 
grain for people in Mizoram, Bangladesh and portions of Burma; 
2) a lack of funding for the GOM to purchase grain from the GOI 
and a corresponding reduction of people's purchasing power; 3) a 
need for immediate action due to the likelihood that the monsoon 
rains (June-November) will make transportation and communication 
with rural districts difficult.  Post requests that USAID New 
Delhi discuss the situation in Mizoram with the GOI (Ministry of 
Home Affairs and National Disaster Management Authority) and 
send an assessment team to Mizoram to visit the rural areas. 
Post is prepared to facilitate such a visit. 
 
¶14.  (U) Embassy Dhaka and Embassy Rangoon cleared this cable. 
JARDINE