The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation stated that a crop promotion programme by cultivating soybeans under an intercropping system in the post-harvest of paddy will be carried out this financial year 2024-2025.
A workshop on the development of the Myanmar soybean sector was held at the Yezin Agricultural Research Department in Nay Pyi Taw on 28 August.
Union Minister U Min Naung for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation said that the ministry has been cooperating with domestic and foreign development institutions to enhance agriculture and livestock sectors simultaneously. This workshop was held under the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Special Fund’s projects. The Special Fund will cover the 2024-2025 crop production programme with an intercropping system for soybeans in the post-harvest of paddy project. Improving soybean production is conducted in Nay Pyi Taw, Shan State, Kachin State and Ayeyawady Region. In addition to soybean oil production, soybean cultivation is encouraged to meet growing feedstuff demand in the domestic market.
The Union Minister highlighted efforts to have stability and consistency in soybean outputs and grow high-yielding Yezin-15 variety widely across the country.
He also urged those stakeholders in the relevant sectors to actively participate in making efforts to cut soybean meal imports for feedstuff and secure edible oil consumption, improve the soybean value chain and draw up plans to achieve goals for Myanmar’s soybean sector.
At present, soybeans are primarily grown in Shan State during the monsoon season. When the water level declines in Sagaing, Bago, Magway, Mandalay, and Ayeyawady regions, soybeans are cultivated as a late-monsoon crop in those areas after paddy is harvested.
Myanmar’s soybean acres reached 3.4 million in the 2023- 2024 FY, covering 30 per cent of monsoon crop cultivation acres and 70 per cent of winter crop cultivation acres and producing more than 5.8 million tonnes. Over 6,000 metric tonnes were exported then. — NN/KK
