Myanmar’s livestock and fishery sectors are crucial to the livelihoods of many vulnerable households and are an important dimension in improving nutritional outcomes in the country. The COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to mitigate its spread have led to disruptions in these sectors arising from declines in incomes and restrictions on movement. Careful monitoring of the impact of COVID-19 on these sectors can guide the government, private sector, and development partners on policies and interventions to minimize potential disruption.
On August 26, 2020, the Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity (MAPSA) held a virtual policy seminar in collaboration with FAO, WorldFish, and Greenovator Co., presenting findings based on recent phone surveys of COVID-19’s impact on Myanmar’s livestock and fishery sectors. The seminar addressed the impacts of the pandemic on the livelihoods of vulnerable households and on malnutrition. The Director General of the Department of Planning, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, U Kyaw Swe Lin, provided the government perspective on these issues and information on the recent interventions the government has undertaken.
Moderator:
Xiaojie Fan, FAO Representative in Myanmar, FAO
Speakers:
Ben Belton, Associate Professor, International Development, Michigan State University - COVID-19 and Poultry and Egg Value Chains in Myanmar
Yin Yin Phyu, Co-founder and Director of Operations, Greenovator Company, Ltd. - COVID-19 Impacts on Fish Value Chains in Myanmar
Stuart Le Marseny, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Information Management Advisor, FAO - Impact of COVID-19 on Fishing/Aquaculture Communities
Jessica Scott, Research Fellow in Gender and Nutrition, WorldFish Myanmar - Animal Sourced Foods: Contributions to Nutrition and Impacts of COVID-19
Panelists:
U Kyaw Swe Lin, Director General, Department of Planning, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation, Myanmar
Michael Akester, Country Director of WorldFish Myanmar
Relevant publications
- The FishAdapt Project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- Monitoring the impact of COVID-19 in Myanmar: Yangon peri-urban poultry farmers - late July 2020 survey
- Monitoring the impact of COVID-19 in Myanmar: Yangon peri-urban poultry farmers - early July 2020 survey
- Monitoring the impact of COVID-19 in Myanmar: Yangon peri-urban poultry farmers - late June 2020 survey
- Monitoring the impact of COVID-19 in Myanmar: Yangon peri-urban poultry farmers - early June 2020 survey
- Additional COVID-19 impact analyses from IFPRI-Myanmar
