Once the rice bowl of Asia, even today, agriculture continues to be a vital contributor to Myanmar’s economy. The sector provides employment to about 53 percent of the country’s labor force and is a source of livelihood for about 70 percent of the rural population. It also contributes almost 38 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, GDP.
Myanmar’s farms are well diversified, with most farms producing rice paddy during the monsoons and other crops such as beans, pulses, oilseeds and maize, during the cool and dry seasons. Yet, the country’s agricultural productivity is low, a key reason why farm profits are amongst the lowest in Asia. For example, to harvest rice, one day of work generates only 23 kg of paddy in Myanmar, compared to 62 kg in Cambodia, 429 kg in Vietnam, and 547 kg in Thailand.
This low productivity can be attributed to the dearth of quality seeds and lack of an enabling environment for the private sector, which can stimulate seed imports or production and multiplication of seeds. To give an example, the supply of certified paddy seeds is estimated to meet less than 10 percent of the demand. This limits the sector’s capacity to reduce poverty and contribute to the country’s shared prosperity. In addition, a limited legal framework makes it challenging to ensure quality control or promote new seed varieties.