Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-g7gxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-09T19:31:04.762Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

7 - The Agricultural Sector and the Role of International Assistance in Promoting Agricultural Reform in Myanmar

from II - Perspectives on the Economy and on Agricultural Development

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2015

John Copland
Affiliation:
Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Canberra
Get access

Summary

In Myanmar, the rural sector plays a dominant role in the economy and agriculture, based on Myanmar's rich natural resources, and is a major potential growth engine in overall national development. An overview of the agricultural sector will highlight the potential for international technical assistance, assistance that will need a strong humanitarian focus.

There is a wide range of agro-climatic zones in Myanmar, ranging from an equatorial zone in the south, a densely populated humid zone at the Irrawaddy [Ayeyarwady] River delta, merging in the centre to an extensive “dry zone” that is surrounded by mountain ranges and a high plateau in the east. The agricultural sector (which includes crops, livestock, fisheries and forestry) involves 75 per cent of Myanmar's population of an estimated 51 million people; it accounts for 40 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) and two-thirds of all employment. In contrast, industry contributes only ten per cent of GDP. Consequently, changes and reforms in the agricultural sector are of national importance. The agricultural sector will continue to have a dominant role in the development of Myanmar.

Overview of the Agricultural Sector

Myanmar has abundant land and low labour costs, which give the country a comparative advantage in a number of sub-sectors, such as crops, livestock, and fisheries. Of Myanmar's 68 million hectares of land-mass, almost 18 million hectares are classified for agricultural production, and just 60 per cent of that is currently exploited. Forestry accounts for 50 per cent of the land area. Under the constitution of Myanmar, all land ownership rests with the state. Farmers have security of tenure, which is inheritable, but land rights cannot be sold or transferred. The most recent census (1993) indicates that 80 per cent of holdings are below 2 hectares and only 3 per cent are bigger than 8 hectares. In 1991, to encourage industrial agriculture, the government gave thirty-year leases of large blocks (2000 hectares each) to companies and individual investors.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
Print publication year: 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×