The government is providing non-depreciable, sustainable funds from the National Economic Development Fund to promote the development of the livestock industry and meet the capital needs of breeders.
State Administration Council Chairman, Prime Minister of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Senior General Thadoe Maha Thray Sithu Thadoe Thiri Thudhamma Min Aung Hlaing sent a message to the ceremony to mark the Peasants’ Day, which falls on 2 March 2025. The full text of the translated message is as follows: –
Esteemed farmers,
I frankly extended my greetings with best wishes for farmers nationwide to be auspicious with physical and mental well-being on the 63rd Anniversary of Peasants’ Day of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, which falls on 2 March 2025.
I especially take pride in the endeavours and performances of farmers engaged in agriculture and livestock breeding, as they play a pivotal role in ensuring food security for the ethnic people. Therefore, I would like to pray for the farmers’ economic growth alongside the nation’s surging agricultural and livestock industries.
The State Administration Council is implementing the Five-Point Roadmap. Of them, “Continued efforts will be made to promote the state economy and enhance the socioeconomic situation of all people through expediting manufacturing businesses rooted in agriculture and livestock to benefit the entire nation” is one of the five points of the roadmap. To ensure national prosperity and food security, efforts are being made to develop the agriculture and livestock sectors using modern techniques, promote MSME industries to enhance exports and increase the yield of oil crops to achieve self-sufficiency and enable exports. These three key economic objectives have been set, and both short-term and long-term plans are being formulated and implemented accordingly.
The key requirement for the socioeconomic development of farmers is increasing crop yields. Therefore, the government prioritizes efforts to achieve target production rates for crops. In implementing these efforts, various measures are being taken, including the use of high-quality and pure seeds, systematic land improvement, proper and timely application of synthetic and organic fertilizers to enhance soil fertility, ensuring adequate irrigation, and adopting proper cultivation techniques. These efforts collectively follow the “Four Key Factors” approach – seeds, soil, water, and technique – to ensure comprehensive and effective agricultural development. To further increase crop production and maximize yields, intercropping and multiple cropping systems, such as double and triple cropping, are being implemented based on regional and seasonal conditions.
Striving to achieve target goals for crops grown in currently cultivated farmland and working towards doubling or tripling yields will not only increase farmers’ income but also contribute to national economic growth.
To ensure that senior farmers can easily access and cultivate high-quality, pure seeds, extensive seed-production initiatives are being implemented. In addition to establishing special seed production zones, annual seed exhibitions are also held to facilitate research on high-quality, pure seeds and yield improvement.
To prevent the degradation and loss of essential soil for crop cultivation, it is necessary to adopt various farming methods. These include using a combination of chemical and natural fertilizers, planting cover crops, growing windbreak trees, practicing crop rotation, implementing terrace farming in hilly regions, utilizing contour farming techniques, and adopting agroforestry systems that integrate crops with trees. Additionally, to enhance soil fertility, the use of natural fertilizers such as manure (cow and chicken dung), EM Bokashi compost, fish amino acids, and green fertilizers like water hyacinths should be encouraged. Other soil improvement techniques, such as planting green manure crops and incorporating them into the soil, are also being promoted.
Not only is this being carried out, but to ensure that farmers have access to high-quality and fairly priced agricultural inputs, fertilizers, seeds, and pesticides are regulated through laws and regulations. Moreover, the government, private businesses, and organizations are collaborating to implement these efforts. Furthermore, support is being provided through the National Economic Development Fund in coordination with input supply companies.
The irrigation system plays a crucial role in ensuring the success of crop cultivation and the development of rural areas. Therefore, the national government is prioritizing investments in irrigation projects. Across Myanmar, a total of 880 irrigation structures have been implemented, including 246 dams, 144 diversion dams, 72 lakes, 199 sluice gates, and 219 water pumping stations. These projects currently benefit over 3.1 million acres of cultivated land. Additionally, in areas facing water scarcity, 25,769 tube wells have been drilled to utilize underground water resources and underground water storage dams are being constructed. Furthermore, solar-powered water pumping systems are being installed in temporary weirs to provide irrigation water. To mitigate flooding and prevent seawater intrusion, flood protection embankments and saltwater barriers are being built. Other efforts include dredging canals, streams, riverbanks, and drainage channels to improve water management.
Agricultural knowledge dissemination is being carried out through various methods to ensure that research findings, modern technologies, high-quality seeds, pure strains, and effective farming techniques are accepted and adopted by farmers. Multiple approaches are being used to provide agricultural education, including broadcasting through the “Farmers’ Channel”, the “Agricultural Knowledge” programme on Myawady TV, and the “Agricultural Technology Knowledge Programme” on Myanmar Radio. Furthermore, information is being shared in ethnic languages and through journals and newspapers such as the Doh Kyay Ywa Journal.
Furthermore, the use of the internet enables real-time access to agricultural technologies and information, allowing farmers to easily learn about the farming techniques they need.
I would like to emphasize the importance of making efforts to reduce the import of palm oil, ensuring sufficient domestic production and consumption of healthier edible oils. To achieve this, it is essential to cultivate and produce oilseed crops such as peanuts, sesame, and sunflowers as planned and to strive for the targeted yield.
The raw cotton produced by our country’s agricultural sector is sufficient for domestic consumption. However, we are still importing yarn from abroad. To reduce imports of yarn, yarn-based products, and garments while meeting domestic demand with high-quality local production, special cotton cultivation zones are being established. These zones aim to achieve a yield of 700 visses per acre and produce high-quality cotton and lint. To manufacture quality yarn and textiles from locally produced cotton, efforts are being made to upgrade cotton-related industries, including ginning mills, spinning mills, and textile factories. In addition, support is being provided to develop cotton-based industries and MSMEs (Micro-, Small-, and Medium-sized Enterprises). It is encouraged that domestic textile needs should be sufficiently met with locally grown cotton, and citizens should prioritize using locally made garments.
With regard to the private sector, MSME businesses involved in the production of various food products, such as rice, corn, oilseed crops, legumes, vegetables, and fruits, can add value by processing and manufacturing these goods. Moreover, industries producing raw materials like coffee, rubber, bamboo, rattan, medicinal herbs, and palm oil can enhance their output. Through the efforts of private entrepreneurs, high-value products can be produced, enabling efficient production and sale in the market, which will increase farmers’ incomes and improve their living standards.
The government is actively fulfilling the necessary human resource requirements to support the development of the agricultural sector and promote agricultural activities. In this regard, 15 agricultural and livestock Institutes have been established and are being operated. These institutions have produced skilled professionals in the mid-level agricultural and livestock sectors. In collaboration with Basic Education High Schools, vocational training programmes in agriculture and livestock are being offered. Starting from the 2023-2024 academic year, vocational schools in agriculture and livestock were opened, and currently, a total of 85 schools have been established.
Esteemed peasants,
Since agriculture is closely related to livestock farming, I would like to emphasize the importance of promoting livestock development. The production and breeding of animals such as cattle, fish, milk, chicken eggs, duck eggs, and quail eggs, which provide essential nutrients, is crucial for ensuring people’s nutritional needs. The nation needs to support the expansion of livestock industries, including the breeding of dairy cows and beef cattle and the development of high-yielding, quality breeds. The establishment of livestock zones for the production of cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, goats, and sheep, along with the support for the production of high-quality milk and dairy products, is a key part of these efforts.
Through the combination of agriculture and animal husbandry, the aim is to improve the social and economic lives of rural communities by establishing emerald green (livestock) villages and ensuring success. This includes distributing high-quality, resilient cattle breeds that can withstand seasonal weather conditions, providing animal feed and medicines to disaster-prone areas, administering vaccines for animal diseases, controlling and treating outbreaks, and conducting research to monitor and prevent diseases.
The government is providing non-depreciable, sustainable funds from the National Economic Development Fund to promote the development of the livestock industry and meet the capital needs of breeders. The government also supports projects such as the Emerald Green project, comprising of breeding chicken and duck broilers and pig programmes. Moreover, plans for dairy cattle, beef cattle, layers, sheep, and goat farming continue to be implemented.
As a sector, during the 2023-2024 financial year, fish and shrimp production reached 6,320,070 metric tonnes. The sector was able to export approximately 322 types of aquatic products, amounting to 522,570 metric tonnes, to 40 foreign trade partner countries. The majority of these exports were primarily aimed at fulfilling domestic fish consumption needs. Efforts have also been made to ensure that rural citizens and fish farmers understand and implement basic fish farming techniques to generate regular income. This includes educating them on fish vaccination, breeding, and other fish farming practices. For families with fish ponds, services have been provided for inspecting and maintaining the health of fish and shrimp, ensuring disease control, and issuing health certificates to guarantee that aquatic products can be exported abroad without diseases.
Esteemed peasants,
The government, taking into account the interests of farmers, established the Agricultural and Livestock Development Commission on 18 December 2024 to accelerate the development of the agriculture and livestock sectors. The commission is working to enhance and implement effective activities that will benefit farmers’ agricultural operations across various sectors, ensuring comprehensive and sustainable development.
In conclusion, I would like to express my deepest gratitude and respect to the hardworking farmers who, with unwavering dedication and effort, have ensured not only domestic food security but also the ability to export agricultural and livestock products. Despite numerous challenges, they have consistently carried out their tasks with strength and efficiency. To promote the economic development of the country and the long-term growth of agricultural activities, it is essential to combine all the resources, including the physical labour, knowledge, determination, modern technologies, land, and water contributed by our farmers. We must work together, united and committed, to achieve the desired outcomes for the sustainable development of our agricultural sector.
Senior General Thadoe Maha Thray Sithu
Thadoe Thiri Thudhamma Min Aung Hlaing
Prime Minister
Chairman, State Administration Council
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