Myanmar Rice and Pulses : Farm Production Economics and Value Chain Dynamics
Agriculture continues to play a very important role in Myanmar’s economy. For many years, understanding the dynamics and performance of Myanmar’s agriculture has been difficult due to the absence of reliable, up-to-date data, at sectoral, sub-secto...
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| Language: | English |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2020
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/623701579900727742/Myanmar-Rice-and-Pulses-Farm-Production-Economics-and-Value-Chain-Dynamics http://hdl.handle.net/10986/33283 |
| Summary: | Agriculture continues to play a very
important role in Myanmar’s economy. For many years,
understanding the dynamics and performance of Myanmar’s
agriculture has been difficult due to the absence of
reliable, up-to-date data, at sectoral, sub-sectoral, or
microeconomic level. During the past five years, significant
changes have occurred in Myanmar’s demographics, economy,
and public spending and in its integration into world and
regional markets for agro-food products. While Myanmar’s
agriculture has experienced some considerable
diversification over the past decade, rice, and bean or
pulses remain core elements of the sector. Rice remains an
important crop and commodity for the economy and welfare of
Myanmar. Myanmar’s paddy production has realized modest
gains, yet it continues to under-perform, relative to peers
and to its potential. One positive development at the
production level has been a significant increase in labor
productivity. One potentially disturbing trend has been a
significant increase in agro-chemicals use in paddy
production. Elsewhere in the rice value chain, many
functions are characterized by low levels of operational
efficiency and/or inadequate quality management. Myanmar is
the world’s third largest producer of pulses, after India
and Canada. Myanmar is also a major exporter of pulses
globally and the largest in the ASEAN region. After several
years of promising trade results, the pulses sub-sector
experienced major problems in 2017 following India’s
imposition of import restrictions on back gram, chick peas
and other commodities. While the trade restrictions have
exposed the vulnerability of the pulses sector due to its
heavy reliance on a single market for some products, there
are additional challenges faced by the sector. Elsewhere in
the pulses value chain, there has been limited investment or
value addition. |
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