paddy rice rapidly declined from 3.4 million acres in 1963-64 to 3.1 million acres in 1972-73. This happened because of two main factors: (1) the lack of security in the region and (2) the inability of the people to work in marginal areas because of the lack of security. The government carried out heavy operations in the Irrawaddy Delta during the 1960s and early 1970s. These operations continued until government forces quelled the rebellion in the region in 1972. Starting 1973, the sown acreage increased again. However, to reach an output exceeding the previous maximum acreage was still difficult because during the conflict, most of the marginal areas were destroyed by floods due to lack of maintenance.