This series of reports examines rice production trends in Myanmar, focusing on paddy productivity and profitability. Rice is the country’s most important staple food, accounting for 51 percent of calories consumed in urban areas and 62 percent in rural areas. It is also a key livelihood source for many farmers, making it central to both food security and rural incomes.
Latest Findings from the 2025 Dry Season and Outlook for the 2025 Monsoon Season
- Prices of key inputs – urea and mechanization – increased significantly between the two growing seasons, by 18 and 12 percent on average, respectively. The largest increase was in agricultural labor costs, rising 46 percent for women and 49 percent for men, likely driven by migration linked to the conscription law. In contrast, farmgate paddy prices fell by 15 percent compared to the previous dry season.
- Nominal profits for paddy farmers fell sharply over the last two seasons. The ratio of revenues over monetary costs per acre declined by one-third, making paddy farming the least profitable in the past 5 years.
- National-level rice productivity on farmers’ largest rice plot in the 2025 dry season was 7.5 percent lower than the year before. Twelve percent of the rice farmers reported negative effects of flooding during the dry season.
- Paddy production in the 2025 monsoon is expected to be well below normal: (a) Two percent of farmers who cultivated paddy in 2024 stopped in 2025; (b) Seven percent reduced their paddy area compared to a normal year; (c) Forty percent of farmers in the Delta – the country’s rice bowl – anticipate lower paddy production this year compared to a typical year. Paddy farmers’ incomes are likely to fall sharply this monsoon season, as paddy prices have fallen by 15 percent compared to last year, while input costs have risen by 16 to 21 percent.
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Season |
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2025 Dry Season |
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2024 Dry Season |
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2023 Monsoon Season |
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2023 Dry Season |
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2022 Monsoon Season |
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2022 Dry Season |