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Myanmar


General Information

· Main climates: Tropical Wet, Tropical Wet Upland (600-1 000 m above sea), Tropical Wet and Dry, Tropical Highland (> 1 000 m above sea)

· Total land area: 66 754 000 ha

· Internal renewable water resources: 1 802 km3

· GNP per capita, 1998: PPP$

· Main food consumed: Rice, Oil & Fat, Pulses, Sugar & Honey, Nuts

· Rice supply, 1999: 315.7 kg paddy/capita/year

Basic Statistics


1985

1990

1995

2000

RICE





Harvested area (M ha)

4.66

4.76

6.03

6.0

Yield (kg/ha)

3071

2935

2976

3333

Production (M t)

14.31

13.97

17.95

20.0

Imports (t)

0

0

0

NA

Exports (T t)

581

213

353

NA

OTHERS





Population (M)

37.54

40.52

42.87

NA

Agr population (M)

27.99

29.68

30.77

NA

Irrigated agr area (T ha)

1085

1005

1555

NA

Fertilizer cons (T t)

194

70

179

NA

Agr tractor in use (T units)

10.02

13.00

7.81

NA

Producing Zones and Cropping Seasons

Most of rice is grown in the Delta of the Ayeyarwady River. The following table shows the rice-harvested areas from different producing zones.

Production zone

Harvested area (% total harvested area)

Ayeyarwady Division

33.59

Bago Division

17.72

Yangon Division

10.07

Sagaing Division

8.88

Shan State

5.95

Rakhine State

5.84

Mon State

4.97

Mandalay Division

4.89

Magway Division

3.25

Kachin State

1.93

Tanintharyi Division

1.50

Chin State

0.59

Kayah State

0.50

Kayin State

0.31

Rice cropping seasons varies with agro-ecological conditions as shown in the following table.


Planting

Harvesting

Normal rainfed lowland and upland

5-6

1--12

Late rainfed lowland

7-8

11-12

Deepwater

4-5

11-12

Mayin (receding) rice

10-11

2-3

Irrigated wet season

5-6

10-11

Irrigated dry season

11-12

4-5

Production Practices

The following figure shows the harvested areas from different rice ecologies during the last five years.

Land preparation is done either with animal traction or tractors. Manual transplanting is a popular method of crop establishment in rainfed lowland and irrigated ecologies, while direct seeding by broadcasting or dibbling non-germinated seeds to dry soils is used to establish upland and deepwater rice crops. Late sown rice in rainfed lowlands is transplanted during monsoon season when water becomes stagnant and Mayin rice is receding-rice, which is transplanted after monsoon when water recedes. Recently direct row seeding was introduced to reduce labor costs and time in transplanting of rice crops. Since 1970s, a substantial number of high yielding rice varieties (HYV) have been developed and released for rainfed lowland and irrigated ecologies. During the 1970s and early 1980s, the popular varieties were Shwe War Tun and Seintaly were popular. Recently varieties Thi Htat Yin, Shwe Thwe Yin, and Sin Akari-2 (released after 1990) are popular in rice-rice systems. More than 70 percent of lowland rice crops in 1994-95 were planted with improved varieties. Recently, the country has initiated a hybrid rice development and use programme and commercial hybrid rice cultivation has been reported in limited areas in the country.

· Known planted irrigated and rainfed lowland varieties

Variety Name

Released period

Growth duration (days)

BR 9

1995-99

120

BYAT

NA

NA

Hmawbi (IR 21836-90-3)

NA

NA

Ka The Nga Cheik

NA

NA

Kyaw Ze Ya

1980-84

145

Lone Thwe Shwe War

before 1975

125

Lone-Thwe-Hmwe

NA

155

Ma Naw Hari

before 1975

145

NGWE-TOE

NA

NA

Pa Le Thwe (Pelita L-1)

1975-79

135

Sein Lay

before 1975

135

Sein Talay

1975-79

145

Shwe Thwe Lay

1975-79

135

Shwe Thwe Yin

After 1990

125-130

Shwe War Hnan

before 1975

125

Shwe War Lay

1975-79

105

Shwe War Tun

before 1975

145

Shwe War Yin

before 1975

125

Sin Akari-2

After 1990

125-130

Sin Ekari 1

1980-84

150

Sin Ekari 2

1985-89

125

Sin Ekari 3

1985-89

135

Sin Ekari 4

1985-89

145

Sin Shwe Thwe

1975-79

135

Sin Thein Gi

1975-79

145

Sin Thi Ri

1975-79

135

Theedai Yin

1990-94

115

Thi Hat 1

1985-89

135

Thi Hat 2

1985-89

125

Thi Hat 3

1985-89

125

Thi Htat Yin

After 1990

125-130

Tun Thiri

1995-99

NA

Ya Gyaw 1

before 1975

155

Ya Gyaw 2

before 1975

145

Yadana Aung

1990-94

105

Yar 8

1990-94

115

· Known planted deepwater and tidal wetland rice varieties

Variety Name

Released period

Growth duration (days)

Ya Net 3

1980-84

155

Ya Net 4

1980-84

155

Ya Net 5

1985-89

175

Ya Net 6

1985-89

175

Ya Net 7

1985-89

155

Yenet 1

1980-84

NA

Yenet 2

1980-84

NA

Yenet 8

1985-89

175

Sa Nga Khan 1

1985-89

135

Sa Nga Khan 2

1985-89

135

Sa Nga Khan 3

1985-89

140

Sa Ngan Khan 4

1985-89

120

· Known planted upland varieties

Variety Name

Released period

Growth duration (days)

C 22

NA

NA

Khaopapyu

NA

NA

Yar Saba 1

1980-84

125

Yar Saba 2

1980-84

125

Yar Saba 3

1980-84

135

Yar Saba 4

1980-84

135

Yar Saba 5

1980-84

135

Yar Saba 6

1980-84

135

C 4-63

before 1975

125

The amount of fertilizers applied to rice is still limited. This is probably a major reason for the low yields of rice. The following table shows the responses of rice to fertilizer application in the country.

Other information

Test range (kg/ha)

Control rate (kg/ha)

Control yield (t/ha)

Rate at Maximum yield (kg/ha)

Maximum yield (t/ha)

Nitrogen (N)

Reported in 58-60, avg 179 trials, Old delta alluvium, Rainfed lowland

0-44.8

0

1.26

44.8

2.14

Reported in 58-60, avg 225 trials, Coastal alluvium, Rainfed lowland

0-44.8

0

1.37

44.8

2.14

Reported in 58-60, avg 95 trials, Delta alluvium, Rainfed lowland

0-44.8

0

1.45

0

1.45

Reported in 58-60, avg 100 trials, Upper Burma alluvium, Rainfed lowland

0-44.8

0

1.32

44.8

2.56

Constraints and Issues of Sustainable Production

The following table shows the rice production costs.

Other information

Yield (t/ha)

Cost (kyats/ha)

Cost (kyats/t)

Coastal zone, 1984

1.87

1 045

558

Dry zone, 1984

1.71

1 242

726

Rainfed, 1984

1.45

1 025

706

Northeastern zone, 1984

1.3

1 278

983

Rice yield has increased steadily during the last five years. The country still has large potential for increasing rice production. There is adequate water for irrigation development and to provide adequate water to the large rainfed lowland rice area. Also, higher rice yield could be obtainable with the increased use of fertilizer. Appropriate policy for rice development is, however, needed for a substantial increase in rice production.

Research and Development Institutes

· Agricultural Experimental Research Station Mandalay Central Farm Mandalay Mandalay

· Myanmar Agricultural Service, Yangoon Phone: (951)-66-70-39 Fax: (951)-66-79-91

· Rice Division, Central Agricultural Research Institute, Yezin, Pyinmana Phone: (95-67)-21-118 Fax: (95-1)-66-79-91

· Rice Division, Central Rice Research Institute, Yezin, Pyinmana, Myanmar.

· Agricultural Research Institute, Agriculture Corporation, Yezin, Pynmana

· Agricultural Experimental Research Station, Central Farm Hmawbi

· Agricultural Experimental Research Station, Lungyaw, Kyaukse Township

· Agricultural Experimental Research Station Mudon

· Agriculture Corporation 72-74, Shwedagon Pagoda Road Yangon Phone: 83480 Telex: 21311

· Applied Research Division, Agriculture Corporation, Gyogon Insein Road, Yangon Telex: 21331


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