CNI News

8 August 2023

This year, in Myanmar the rate of corn planting has decreased than previous years and other crops that are sugarcane, ginger, chili and bean said corn peasants. 

Because the price of corn was currently low, peasant have planted other crops that are more beneficial to them, said U Thant Zin Tun, vice chairman of the Myanmar Corn Industry Association to CNI News.

 Corn seeds

" At present, rain-fed corn is planed in Shan State, Kayah state. Mountain corn has been all planted already and the plants are quite big now. The places where corn can be planted only, corn will be just planted. The places where other crops can be planted_ on the mountain peasants have planted sugarcane, ginger and so on instead of corn. In Ayeyarwady Region, the corn price is 1,250 kyats a viss (3.6lb) and 36,000 to 37,500 kyats a bag (30 viss). Do the peasants make profits? They don't make much profits. So, the peasants who planted corn before have planted chili and bean or pea instead. The peasants have planted other crops more than last year because the cost for an acre of corn planting is about 1,500,000 kyats. Only when pests and weather don't damage, peasants can earn 2,000,000 to 2,500,000 kyats. They can plant corn for a season only. At present, they can't grow corn  in the rainy season when the river rises, corn cannot be planted. Because the peasant earn 500,000 to 1,000,000 only for an acre, they don't make a lot of profits according to the current situation. So, they have turned to chili and bean that don't cost them so much. At present, the price of broken rice is far higher than corn." he said.

Although the cost for an acre of chili planting is about 5,000,000 kyats, because the profit is 40 to 50 lakh kyats, the peasants have planted more beneficial crops, said corn peasants. 

Although peasants planted corn on seven acres out of 10 acres and other crops were planted on the rest acres in the past, this year corn is planted only on five acres and other crops are planted on the rest five acres, said Ko Min Khaing, a corn peasant from Ayeyarwady Region to CNI News.

A corn peasant

" Corn planting will surely decrease this year because the peasants grow more chilli and bean instead of planting corn. Corn planting is costlier. It doesn't make a loss. But it makes a little profit. If the cost for an acre of chili planting is about 50 lakh kyats, a peasant can get about 100 lakh kyats from selling chili. So, he can make a profit of about 50 lakh kyats. If he grow corn, he can earn about 10 lakh kyats only as a profit. So, many peasants have turned to chili. And bean is not as busy as corn, but the profit is not too different from corn. So, corn planting is reduced by one third." he said.

Corn is grown mostly in Shan State, Kayah State, Ayeyarwady Region, Bago Region, Kachin State and Mandalay Region and annual corn yield is about 21 million tons reportedly.

40 percent of corn production is consumed by local food factories and 60 percent is exported to foreign countries.