Myanmar: Agricultural Initiative Boosts Over 5,000 Farmers

Yangon, Jan 19 (NationPress) Myanmar's Agriculture and Rural Development Loan Project has provided more than 247 billion kyats (approximately 117.61 million U.S. dollars) in financial support as of 2024, assisting 5,816 farmers, as reported by the state-operated Myanmar Radio and Television on Sunday.

The report indicated that this initiative not only aids farmers but also fortifies the nation’s agricultural sector, according to the Xinhua news agency.

Initiated in July 2017, the project offers low-interest loans to facilitate farmers in acquiring vital agricultural equipment.

The repayment options feature three-year short-term and five-year long-term instalments, as stated.

Agriculture in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) is the predominant sector, contributing to 60 percent of the GDP and employing around 65 percent of the workforce. Once Asia's largest rice exporter, rice continues to be the country’s most critical agricultural product.

Other key crops include pulses, beans, sesame, groundnuts, sugarcane, timber, and fish. Additionally, livestock are raised both for food and labor.

The primary technique for preparing farmland is the slash-and-burn method (also referred to as shifting cultivation or swiddening). This entails igniting areas of primary or secondary forest to create fields for crop cultivation. Following the depletion of soil nutrients, the land is abandoned for natural regrowth. Recovery begins within one to three years post-abandonment, and within 10 to 20 years, it can support an established secondary forest.

Occasionally, this arable land is transformed into rice paddies, a common agricultural practice in southern and eastern Asia. In Burma, these paddies are intermittently flooded by rivers, while predominantly relying on the monsoon season for water. The paddies consist of an impermeable subsoil, a saturated mud layer, and approximately 4–6 inches of water.

Farmers in Myanmar rear livestock for both food and labor, including cattle, water buffalo, goats, sheep, oxen, chickens, and pigs. Oxen and water buffalo serve as draft animals throughout the country, while the majority of cattle are raised in the drier northern regions. Goats are raised for their milk.

The outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu strain in Asia impacted farmers in Myanmar. Initially, the Mandalay and Sagaing regions were affected, resulting in the culling of thousands of chickens, quails, and their eggs. Nevertheless, by 2006, the livestock officials in the country announced a plan to finance the restocking of birds and feed for impacted poultry farms.

As of 2024, Myanmar holds the title for the largest cattle herding in Southeast Asia. Domestic beef consumption in Myanmar is relatively low due to religious beliefs and the utility of cattle as farm animals. The 2012 Major Commodity and Service Law banned the export of live cattle, yet significant smuggling occurred due to lax enforcement. In 2017, Aung San Suu Kyi's government lifted the ban and began regulating cattle exports as a revenue-generating measure.