InfoAnda - Myanmar seeks to rejoin top rice exporters |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

WikiLeaks founder warns of huge leak as last resort | 31 January 2011
THE INFLUENCE GAME: Bishops shape health care bill | 12 November 2009
NATO: 2 service members killed in Afghanistan | 11 September 2009

Dubai says hit team had 27th member, slams insult | | 1 March 2010

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Myanmar seeks to rejoin top rice exporters |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Social Pulse Business Video The Freeland File Aerospace & Defense Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Reuters Investigates Decoder Politics Politics Home Election 2012 Campaign Polling Tales from the Trail Political Punchlines Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Tech Tonic Social Pulse Opinion Opinion Home Chrystia Freeland John Lloyd Felix Salmon Jack Shafer David Rohde Bernd Debusmann Nader Mousavizadeh Lucy P. Marcus David Cay Johnston Bethany McLean Anatole Kaletsky Edward Hadas Hugo Dixon Ian Bremmer Lawrence Summers Susan Glasser The Great Debate Steven Brill Jack & Suzy Welch Frederick Kempe Christopher Papagianis Mark Leonard Breakingviews Equities Credit Private Equity M&A Macro & Markets Politics Breakingviews Video Money Money Home Tax Break Lipper Awards 2012 Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik James Saft Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Money Clip Investing 201 Life Olympics Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Full Focus Video Reuters TV Reuters News Article Comments (0) Full Focus Editor's choice Our best photos from the last 24 hours. See more Images of July Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Mars rover Curiosity sends home first color photo | 08 Aug 2012 China says ex-leader's wife does not contest murder charge | 4:11am EDT Underground sect found after nearly a decade in Russia's Kazan 08 Aug 2012 White sand of Hainan the winner 06 Aug 2008 Rogue second spoiled South Korean's Games 03 Aug 2012 Discussed 170 Obama urges ”soul searching” on ways to reduce gun violence 124 Obama’s lead over Romney grows despite voters’ pessimism 108 Chick-fil-A faces ”kiss-in” protest in gay marriage flap Sponsored Links Pictures Reuters Photojournalism Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography. See more | Photo caption Battle for Syria The battle for Syria's biggest city, Aleppo. Slideshow Midwest drought The worst dryspell in over half a century punishes the Midwest. Slideshow Myanmar seeks to rejoin top rice exporters Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Special Report: As Myanmar reforms, discontent grips countryside Wed, Aug 8 2012 Special Report - China's answer to subprime bets: the "Golden Elephant" Sun, Aug 5 2012 Farmers seen weathering 2012 drought better than in 1988 Tue, Jul 24 2012 Stand-off looms over U.S. plans to cut GMO crop oversight Tue, Jul 17 2012 Insight: Top palm oil producer Indonesia wants to be more refined Mon, Jul 16 2012 Analysis & Opinion Why enhanced reputation could be the real legacy for Britain of London 2012 Ye Shiwen: Innocent until proven guilty Related Topics World » Myanmar » Farmers plant rice seedlings in a paddy field on the outskirts of Yangon July 13, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Soe Zeya Tun By Jason Szep YANGON | Thu Aug 9, 2012 12:21am EDT YANGON (Reuters) - As Myanmar emerges from decades of isolation and oppression, it hopes to reclaim its nearly forgotten status as the world's biggest rice exporter. That's a tall order, but industry and government officials have begun drafting plans to revitalize the industry after years of neglect and military mismanagement. No country's appetite is quite like Myanmar's, which boasts the world's highest annual rice consumption at 210 kg (460 lb) per person. It makes up 75 percent of the country's diet, according to government statistics. That helps explains its economy. Agriculture — including farms, fisheries, forestry and livestock -- accounts for 43 percent of gross domestic product, a quarter of exports and 70 percent of employment. Industrial production, including exports of natural gas, is about 20 percent of the $43 billion economy. As Myanmar undergoes the most breathtaking reforms in the former British colony since a 1962 military coup when it was known as Burma, the government is looking for ways to revive the rice industry and reclaim its nearly forgotten status as the world's top rice exporter in the 1960s. A top priority is to give farmers better access to high-quality seeds by encouraging investments from multinationals such as Monsanto Co and DuPont Co's Pioneer Hi-Bred seed unit. "In China, every township has a seed production company," Tin Naing Thein, National Planning and Economic Development Minister told Reuters. "The government will encourage and support them here." A recent easing in U.S. sanctions could make that easier. DuPont Pioneer, for instance, is "looking forward to exploring opportunities in Myanmar", spokeswoman Cookie Lo said in an e-mail. Myanmar is predicting a big increase in exports, projecting shipments of as much as 2 million tonnes next year and 3 million by 2015, says Ye Min Aung, Secretary General of the Myanmar Rice Industry Association. That's up sharply from 778,000 last year. It expects exports to double this year to 1.5 million tonnes. However, the U.S. Agriculture Department attache has forecast exports would likely tumble 23 percent in 2012, due to increased supplies from other rice producers. CREDIT REFORM A new agricultural bank was set up two months ago to provide credit to small farmers, many of whom are struggling with debt. Myanma Agro-business Public Co has 76 shareholders, including agriculture development banks (ADCs) run by local tycoons that specialize in micro-credit. With an initial 16 billion kyat ($18 million) in capital, it will publicly sell shares after its business license is approved, says Myo Thuya Aye, managing director of Ayeyar Wun Trading Co Ltd, an ADC. The bank is similar to one set up in Indonesia, whose political and economic reforms over the years Myanmar is studying. Unlike the Indonesian bank, Myanmo Agro-business will not be state controlled. That could be a problem, says David Dapice, an economist at Harvard University's Ash Center, who helped Bank Rakyat Indonesia build a network of small, profitable outlets in the 1980s. "In Indonesia, the government bank was able to act like a private bank and did very, very well. Rural credit became a profit centre," he says. "I have nothing against private banking going into rural areas. But I find they are generally reluctant to do so when the rural areas are not prosperous." That's already happening. After lending $100 million in 2010/11, the ADCs cut that back to $25 million in the year to March, the U.S. Agriculture Department attache says. "To have farmers thrive, Indonesia realized that the government had to invest in rural infrastructure and provide a realistic exchange rate, not just provide credit. The pieces are not yet in place in Myanmar," Dapice said. ANTIQUATED MILLS Mills are another problem. About 80 percent are small-scale, antiquated businesses that struggle to produce the white rice kernels expected by international buyers. As a result, mill losses, measured mostly by broken grains, are 20 percent higher than in Thailand and Vietnam, says Ye Min Aung at the rice industry association. Several rice exporters are building large-scale mills that can handle as much as 200 tonnes a day, says Tin Htut Oo, head of the new National Economic and Social Development Advisory Committee, a body that advises the government. "We can increase up to two million tonnes very quickly within one or two years," he says of rice exports. He also expects fertilizer sales to boom. While Myanmar's farmland is similar in size to Vietnam and Thailand, it uses two-thirds less fertilizer - just a million tonnes a year. Expanding that, he says, could produce a big increase in yields. "You can imagine in a few years' time the use of fertilizer in Myannar will at least double. I wouldn't be surprised if it tripled. That is a big area of investment." Myanmar's total rice consumption accounts for 11 million to 13 million tonnes per year, compared with milled rice production of 14 million to 15 million, the rice industry body says. Target export markets are Africa, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and East Timor. World Myanmar Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use AdChoices Copyright Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Thursday, 9 August 2012
Blair is deeply worried UK may leave EU: paper |
Guinea probes killing at Vale-BSG iron ore mine protest |
Financial lawyer to represent China's Gu in murder trial |
Analysis: Doubts arise about replacing Annan as Syria war worsens |
Colombian coal railway talks stuck; Cerrejon attacked |
African leaders fail to agree on Congo force |
Google bolsters voice search app for iPhone |
U.S. will not challenge computer fraud case to high court |
Writer says bin Laden film, trailer not politically motivated |
Country singer Randy Travis charged with drunk driving |
Bob Hoskins has Parkinson's disease, retiring from acting |
Rapper Rick Ross scores 4th No. 1 album on Billboard 200 chart |
Libya's ruling council hands over power to new assembly |
Syrian troops push back rebels in Aleppo offensive |
China says ex-leader's wife does not contest murder charge |
Swiss lab wants guarantee in Arafat death inquiry |
Potential for food crisis growing as prices surge: U.N. |
Suspected Kurd militants attack military bus in Turkey |
Egyptian police clash with armed men in north Sinai
Myanmar seeks to rejoin top rice exporters |
Ernesto moves into Gulf of Mexico, kills one |
Mobile app sparks Obama camp voter drive, privacy fears |
Samsung says not considering buying RIM or BlackBerry license |
U.S. judge backs RIM in patent battle with Mformation |
Olympus liquidity gauge drops, adds pressure for capital deal |
Nokia sells Qt software business to Finland's Digia |
Sony says to turn So-net into wholly owned unit |
Olympus says expects creditors to continue loans |
Starbucks embraces mobile payments with start-up Square |
Colorful Brazilian mural stirs controversy in Boston |
Russia's Medvedev hints of Chinese threat to Far East |
Philippines begins clean-up after monsoon rains kill scores |
Britain to hold inquest into Litvinenko poisoning |
Assailants leave 14 corpses on major Mexican highway |
Mali Islamists amputate hand of suspected thief |
Virus found in Mideast can spy on finance transactions |
Google pays $22.5 million to settle Apple Safari charges |
Infosys faces new lawsuit over visa whistleblower |
Judge in Google-Oracle case seeks names of paid reporters, bloggers |
Billy Crystal to write comedic memoir on life, old age |
Former East German director Maetzig dies at 101 |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01