Country report on rice cultivation practice: Myanmar Dr. Khin Lay Swe Pro Rector (Retd.) Yezin Agricultural University Expert Meeting 2 3 June 2011 Bangkok, Thailand 1
Country Profile: Export: US$ 6.8billi billion* Import: US$ 4.5 billion* Main Exports: Agriculture, livestock and forestry products, natural gas Main Imports: Machinery, transportation and construction materials, industrial raw materials, consumer goods Role of Agriculture sector 43% of GDP (including crops (35%), livestock & fisheries (7%) and forestry (1%)) 61% of Labor Force 44% of Export Earnings (crops (17%), livestock & fisheries (20%) and forestry (7%)) *Ministry of Commerce, Myanmar (2008 09)
Sown Area of Major Crops (,000 ha) Sr. No. Crop Name 2009-2010 Percentage 1. Paddy 8067 47.5 2. Sesamum 1634 9.6 3. Green gram 1077 63 6.3 4. Black gram 1023 6.0 5. Sunflower 883 5.2 6. Groundnut 866 5.1 7. Pigeon pea 616 8. Other Pulses 706 9. Wheat & Maize 466 10. Rubber 463 11. Cotton 359 12. Sorghum 224 13. Sugercane 160 14. Oil Palm 112 15. Coffee 24 16. Vegetables 270 17. Others 19 Total Crop Area 16969
Country Profile: Area 676,557 Km 2, between 9 32' N to 28 32'N; 92 10' E to 101 11'E Population: 57.5 Millions Growthrate rate of1.75 75% %, 135 nationalities Major Rice Producing Areas Divisions Share in rice area (%) Ayeyarwady Region is (%) the rice bowl of Myanmar Share in popula tion (%) Ayeyarwady 29 14 Bago 16 10 Sagaing g 12 11 Yangon 9 12 Others 34 53 4
The sharp increase in rice area after 1993 attributed to the additional rice area for summer rice. The increase summer rice area, coupled with the yield increase, resulted in a significant ifi increase in rice production after 1993 Lowland Rice based Ecosystems in Nyaungdon Township of Ayeyarwaddy Garcia, et.al. 2010, ASEAN Round Table Meeting, Myanmar
Rice Ecosystems in Myanmar Sr. Type % 1 Irrigated 30 2 Favorable Rain-fed Area 38 3 g Prone Area Drought 12 4 Deepwater, submerged and salt lt affected ff t d Rice Ri 17 5 Upland rice 3 Irrigated rice fields in Northern Shan State Terrace upland rice fields in Northern Shan State
Construction of New Reservoirs and Dams Irrigation Facilities installed in the last 2 decades: 228 Large and Small Rural Dams Lifting water Lifti t from f rivers: i 322 river pump stations established to area of 0.47 m ac 7
Promoting Ecosystem Based Adaptation Supplementary Water for Rice Production, Central Myanmar A Total of 7974 tube wells: Shallow / Deep tube wells for > 100,000, acres,, after 2007 08 Treadle pump/ Tripod pump
Land Preparation: Tillage 70% 70% Animal power 30% Mechanized
Transplanting in Flooded Areas Lowland Areas
Rice Harvesting : Harvested manually Sun dry: Flooded Rice in Nyaungshwe Township, Southern Shan State Lowland Rice in Mandalay Region Combine harvester are not common; Some seen in Muse Township, Northern Shan State
Paddy Harvest Time in Central Myanmar
Threshing is done by machine, Thresher; almost 100% Rice Straw mainly for Cattle Feed Only a few cases of burning for next crop
Dry Seeding Practice of Rice under Rain fed Ecosystem Rice seedbed with lack of rain water Rice Growing Method: 1. Transplanting ( 80% of the rice area) 2. Direct Seeding( 20%; Double Rice growing area) 3. Dry Seeding (A few areas in central dry zone) Central Myanmar: Yamethin Township, lower rainfall in 2010, Taking for Cattle Feed
Traditional Cropping Patterns: Adaptation Technologies in Central Myanmar Sun dry of the harvested rice on bunds Double Crop in Central Myanmar: Black gram after Rice Blackgram Harvest in Lower Myanmar: Zero tillage g for conservation of residual soil moisture: Post monsoon black gram 15 after rice
Crop Rotation and Double Cropping Some plots are prepared p for Rice after Rice, and some for Garlic after Rice Zero Tillage for Garlic after Rice: Double Cropping in Southern Shan State
MIX CROPPING IN NORTHERN SHAN STATE Mi Mix cropping i with ith Sunflower S fl Mi Mix cropping i with ith Pigeonpea Pi Orange, Pineapple and Rice
% of farmers who applied fertilizers and average rice yield 1994 95 (Monsoon) 2003 04 (Monsoon) % of % of Fertilizers applied Farmers Grain Yield Farmers Grain Yield (kg/ha) (kg/ha) Urea only 6 2191 b 22 2575 ab Urea+FYM 32 2566 a 29 2631 a FYM only 28 2212 b 25 2445bc Others 21 2745 a 5 2746 a No Fertilizer 13 1075 c 19 2178 c 1994 9595 (Summer) 2003 0404 (Summer) Fertilizers % of farmers Grain Yield % of farmers Grain Yield applied (kg/ha (kg/ha) Urea only 41 2254 b 75 3001 b Urea+FYM 19 2901 a 12 3666 a Others 12 3482 a 13 2822 b No fertilizer 28 1403 c Lowland Rice based Ecosystems in Nyaungdon Township of Ayeyarwaddy Garcia, et.al. 2010, ASEAN Round Table Meeting, Myanmar
Major Cropping Patterns and Share of Cultivated Area CROPPING PATTERNS CY 1994 95 (%) CY 2003 04 (%) Rice - Pulses 35 34 Rice - Fallow 13 18 Fallow - Rice 11 8 Fallow - Pulses 11 14 Rice - Rice 11 3 Rice - Ol Oilseed 7 9 Fallow - vegetable 1 7 2Rice- Fallow 2 0 Others 9 7 TOTAL 100 100 Lowland Rice based Ecosystems in Nyaungdon Township of Ayeyarwady Garcia, et.al. 2010, ASEAN Round Table Meeting, Myanmar
Rice Varieties and Yield (t/ha) in Ayeyarwaddy Region RICE VARIETY 1994 9595 2003 0404 Monsoon Season HYV Varieties 2.64 (67%) 2.57 (83%) Traditional Varieties 1.70 (33%) 2.24 (17%) Summer Season HYV Varieties i 2.07 (96%) 3.06 (100%) Traditional Varieties 1.14 (4%) ITEMS Percent Share of Cost for Monsoon Rice 1994 95 2003 04 Hired Labor 44 57 Fertilizer cost 23 25 Animal & Mechanical power 21 11 Seeds 7 7 Irrigation 5 0
Comparison of Cost & Return for Monsoon Rice Production ITEMS 1994 95 2003 04 Rice Yield (kg/ha) 2301 2515 Area Harvested (ha) 477 428 Number of farm households 305 268 TOTAL COSTS (Kyats/ha) 19,497 16,605605 Cash cost 6,639 7,815 Non cash cost 2,509 1,972 Imputed cost 10,349 6,818 GROSS RETURNS (Kyats/ha) 29,891 31,016 Returns over cash costs 23,252 23,201 Returns over cash & non cash costs 20,743 21,229 NET RETURNS (Kyats/ha) 10,394 14,411411 NET PROFIT COST RATIO Cash cost 1.57 1.84 Cash h& Non cash 114 1.14 147 1.47 All cost 0.53 0.87 (Note: Prices deflated to 1996 prices) 1000 K = 1 USD
Comparison of Cost & Return for Summer Rice Production ITEMS 1994-95 95 2003-04 04 Rice Yield(kg/ha) 2,018 3,058 Area Harvested (ha) 191 92 Number of farm households 141 51 TOTAL COSTS S (Kyats/ha) 15,202 30,325 Cash cost 7,125 22,342 Non-cash cost 1,753 2,068 Imputed cost 6,324 5,915 GROSS RETURNS (Kyats/ha) 28,517 39,796 Returns over cash costs 21,392 17,454 Returns over cash & non-cash costs 19,639 15,386 NET RETURNS (Kyats/ha) 13,315 9,471 NET PROFIT-COST RATIO Cash cost 1.87 0.42 Cash & Non-cash 1.5 0.39 All cost 0.88 0.31
Mitigation Options of GHG Emission Rice fields produce CH4 emissions, which can be reduced by improved management measures: Improved Rice ProductionPractices Practices Irrigation management Nutrient management New cultivars
Successful implementationof of mitigation technologies will depend on demonstration that: Grain yield will not decrease or may increase; There will be savings in labor, water and other production costs; and Rice cultivars that produce lower CH4 p emissions are acceptable to local consumers
Mitigation of CH4 emissions from rice fields: Method of rice plant establishment: The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) Rice plants are transplanted 8 15 days after germination Water management practice: Alternate Wet and Dry (AWD) 3 5 days of flooding and 10 14 days of drainage Save water, to get more nutrient absorption, improved root growth Reduce the use of irrigation water without compromising the rice yield Short duration of flooding condition will reduce the CH4 emission from the field
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI), and Alternate Wet and Dry Rice (AWD): Introduction into the existing farming systems for mitigation of GHG (CH 4 and N 2 O) emissions from rice fields; introduced in 2000 but not yet popular in Myanmar, Good drainage system is a necessity and an application of a drainage system in a rice field increases oxygen and methane oxidation, decreasing CH 4 emission. Besides, some findings showed that controlled irrigation may reduce N 2 O emissions.
Improve Nitrogen Management: Decrease the amount of nitrogen lost to the environ. through gaseous losses of ammonia or N 2 O, or leaching of nitrate into the subsoil Improvements in farm technology, such as use of controlled release fertilizers, nitrification inhibitors, Timing of nitrogen application (better matching nitrogen supply to crop demand) Water management for improvements in nitrogen use efficiency and further limit N 2 O formation More integrating animal waste and crop residue management Control biomass burning
Nutrient Management Practices Method of Urea Application: FYM blended urea:. Same amount of Urea and FYM are thoroughly mixed, put in a plastic bag. After one night of incubating, the FYM blended urea will be used as top dressing, can save urea as much as 30 45% of total application without reducing yields, sometimes giving even better yields, N 2 O emission will be lower than the conventional method Split application method (e.g. 3 4 times for rice) to match nitrogen supply with crop demand Foliar application of urea solution and growth regulators (plant growth hormones) will be an alternative way of improving productivity with less negative environmental effects.
Method of Organic Manure Application A common practice : apply organic fertilizers in the form of residues from the previous rice crop, stubbles are ploughed and integrated into the soils. Apply farm yard manure (cow dung/ compost) Under rice upland cropping pattern, farmers usually apply cow dung manure before rice growing in wet season This practice will favor the CH4 emission from land preparation time as well as flooded rice fields Applying organic manure only just before upland tillage preparation can be carried out to minimize the methane emission.. The time of application will be after the harvest of wet season rice.
Compost making with rice straw and other farm wastes: Burning rice straw: not popular; previous crop residues and weeds before land preparation will not only emit the GHG to the atmosphere but also it loses the valuable organic matter source. Adoption of compost making and applying compost after rice harvest would be alternative ti ways of climate change mitigation through reducing CO 2 emission. i Since incorporation of un decomposed organic C residues has been reported as the sources of CH 4 emission, well decomposed organic manures should be used
Rice based Cropping Patterns In the irrigated area, farmers are encouraged to grow double rice cropping system In stead of Rice Rice cropping pattern, rice with upland crops (pulses, cotton, energy crops) ; will be advantageous for reducing CH4 emission and for less water requirement of next crop
Conclusion Multidisciplinary research (development of rice crop management practices/ climate resilient rice varieties, etc.) Cooperation with international and regional partners and seek technology transfer for development of sustainable low carbon society
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