Into Myanmar
Myanmar was once the world’s largest
producer of rice, a position which
helped secure its place as the secondwealthiest country in Southeast Asia.
Beginning in the 1930s, though,
agricultural productivity plummeted
due to a combination of political and
economic factors, including the sharp
decline of international rice prices.
Despite these temporary setbacks,
Myanmar still holds the potential to
more than double its rice exports. Rice
production has steadily been improving
since the 1960s. However, there is still
much that can be done.
In 2014, the FSI was launched to
boost Myanmar’s rice yield by 15-25
percent and its vegetable yield by
5-25 percent using FDP technology.
The project will help 80,000 Burmese
smallholder farmers. This goal will be
met through dialogue with farmers and
the introduction of FDP technology. This
innovation currently plays an integral
role in the restructuring of Myanmar’s
agricultural system.
First trial runs have shown success in
the form of significant yield increases
of up to 23 percent when UDP is
used, compared with broadcast urea
applications. Continued replacement
of outdated broadcasting methods
with FDP will enable Myanmar to see a
continued rise in yield and productivity,
leading to increased farmer profits
and the reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions from rice production.
19 | 2014 ANNUAL REPORT