28 Dec
While fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic, the Union government is also taking measures to boost cooperation with foreign countries, to get assistance in terms of technology and to attract foreign investment as part of efforts for quick economic recovery in the post COVID-19 era.
Given that agriculture is at the heart of our country’s post-COVID-19 economic recovery, we are on alert to be able to seize opportunities possible to overcome the challenges of agricultural sector on which farmers, who make up over 70 per cent of the total population of Myanmar, are relying.
Meanwhile, to support post-COVId-19 recovery, it is important to bolster our agriculture sector by promoting high yield, reducing production costs, improving quality and safety of agro products, and logistics sector which is playing a key role in purchasing, milling and trading, strengthening market linkages and promoting entrepreneurships while creating jobs.
Only then, can we build “Myanmar” brand in the agriculture sector and leverage the country’s global recognition.
Not only rice but also locally produced fresh fruit and vegetable sector is listed as one of the priority export sectors to be focused on during and in the post-COVID-19 era.
Despite the ongoing pandemic, the agriculture sector saw some achievements in agriculture sector with first trail shipment of watermelons, other shipments of mangoes and pineapples to UAE and first shipment of avocados to the UK.
Rice, fruits and vegetables are on the list of key export products of the National Export Strategy 2020-2025, and in 2020, over 40 rice companies and 79 mills have been permitted to export rice to China.
Despite being his hard significantly due to the trade flow restrictions, the tightening of security at borders, the agriculture sector remains strong and as a whole contributes 22% of the overall Myanmar export sectors for this year.
As we are committed to developing more high quality agriculture, livestock and fisheries products, foreign and local investments are invited in value-added food industries and value chain infrastructures to ensure that our farmers, who are important to our country’s economy as well as for achieving food sufficiency for our people, get easy and affordable access to technology, machinery, and inputs for farming as recovery actions from COVID-19.
