Rapid Assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on the Myanmar Seed Sector

Myanmar Seed Alerts (May 2020)Abishkar Subedi, Swe Zin Myint Thein, Win Thein & Arnab Gupta

3rd June 2020

▪ On March 23, the first positive COVID-19 case was reported in Myanmar (232 confirmed cases and 6 deaths till 2nd June data)

▪ Myanmar government put various measures to curb the COVID pandemic, restrictions on residents’ movement and transportation, restrictions on banking hours and suspensions on microfinance institution operations and restriction on public administrative activities

▪ Myanmar government released the COVID-19 Economic Relief Plan (27 April 2020)

▪ National GDP is predicted to fall by 41 percent during the two-week lockdown period. The COVID-19 pandemic will likely push Myanmar’s economy into a recession or lead to stagnant growth in 2020 (May 2020, IFPRI)

▪ Household income is predicted to fall across all household groups, falling most among rural nonfarm households and urban households (May 2020, IFPRI).

Background

Purpose

▪ To avoid a food and hunger crisis, urgent action is needed to address key agricultural challenges, seed sector play an important role

▪ Rapid assessment to understand the impact of the COVID-19 measures on the functioning of the Myanmar seed sector

▪ Identify the key areas (Seed Alerts) where COVID-19 measures impacted most and development of actions that need urgent attention by different stakeholders

▪ Planning to conduct the Rapid Assessment on ‘monthly basis’ as COVID-19 measures are changing and affecting the seed sector functioning differently

Methodology ▪ Digital survey questionnaire was developed to assess the COVID-19

impact on the ‘30 most important aspects’ of Myanmar seed sector development

▪ Survey was completed on 29-30 April with 27 different experts representing the public, private, farmers representatives, development partners & NGOs

▪ Survey result was shared in three separate Focus Groups Discussion (FGD) during 6-7 May to understand the impact and develop the ‘actions’▪ FGD on ‘Rice crop’ ▪ FGD on ‘Pulses and Oil seed crops’ ▪ FGD on ‘Policy and other crops’

▪ Survey results and FGD discussion were synthesized to develop Myanmar Seed Alerts

Contributing organizations ▪ Department of Agriculture (DOA), Ministry ofAgriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MOALI)• Department of Agricultural Research (DAR), MOALI• Agro Bio Company Limited• Awba Group• Ayeyarwaddy seeds Company Limited• CP Company Limited• East West Seed Company• Green Growth Generation Seed Company Limited• Greenish Sagaing Regional Seed Company• Medihub Company Limited• New Ayar Company Limited• Shweyaung Win Seed Company Limited• Tropical Bio Company Limited• Shwe Zin Yaw Seed Producer Cooperative• Farmer representative from Myaung Township,Sagaing region• Myanmar Seed Association (MSA)• Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF)• Integrated Seed Sector Development Programme(ISSD Myanmar)• Rice Seed Sector Development Project (RSSD)• Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT)• Netherlands Embassy• Syngenta Foundation• Welthungerhilfe (WHH)

Seed sector operations and

services

Breeding on-station

Multilocational variety trials

Farmer variety trials

Variety release committee and

release processAlert 2

Production of early generation seed Alert 3

Supply of early generation seed Alert 3

Field inspection for seed quality

assurance

Laboratory testing for seed quality

assurance

Access to agro-inputs for seed

production

Access to labour for seed production Alert 1

Field operations for seed production Alert 1

Post-harvest practices for seed

marketingAlert 1

Seed distribution

Seed import Alert 2

Seed & variety promotion

COVID-19 measures on mobility Alert 1

Mobility of seed companies to point

of sales/agro-dealersAlert 1

Seed Alert MayMobility of farmers to point of

sales/agro-dealersAlert 1

Mobility farmers to informal markets Alert 1

Accessibility informal seed sources

Presence of substandard seed in

markets

Sales of quality seed

Government funding of services

Government investment in

marketing and distribution

Seed sector information sharing and

coordinationAlert 2

Affordability of quality seed to

farmersAlert 4

Farmer cash availability Alert 4

Farmer willingness to pay for quality

seedAlert 4

Quantity and quality of seed sown Alert 4

Quantity and quality of produce

harvested

Food and income security

Severe negative impact

Negative impact

Slight negative impact

No impact; business as usual

Myanmar Seed Alerts: Dashboard (May 2020)

Alert 1 Measures reduce the mobility of farmers and seed entrepreneurs, and thereby reduce farmers’ access to quality seed

Alert 1: Measures reduce the mobility of farmers and seed entrepreneurs, and thereby reduce farmers’ access to quality seed

What is the impact?

▪ Affect on the mobility of labour for seed production field operations and post-harvest practices

▪ Affect on the mobility of farmers and seed entrepreneurs (seed growers, private seed companies, seed traders, and seed & fertilizersshops)

▪ Measures and their enforcement vary between different regions/states, and townships

▪ If these measures continue till June-July, farmers will suffer a shortage of quality seed, which will have a serious negative impact on agricultural productivity and production

What actions are required? Who takes initiative?

1. Ensure that the similar status and priority is given to the movement of seed and fertilizers, labour and employees, and vehicles as to the movement of health products, health manpower, and transport

MOALI (DOP and DOA) work with the COVID-19 National Task Force

2. Because of its value for national food and nutrition security, and the contribution to the national economy, encourage the relevant authorities to classify the agricultural input sector as an ‘essential sector’

3. Allow the mobility needed to carry out seed production in the field and factories or warehouses, agri-logistic services, drone services, and agri-labourmovement to designated places of work

MOALI (DOP and DOA) work with state/regional governments, administrative offices, security departments, respective township and villages

4. Engage with authorities so that permission is granted for the transport of seed and fertilizers within and between the townships, states, or regions

What actions are required? Who takes initiative?

5. Encourage seed entrepreneurs to prioritize selling their seed in their township and in neighboring townships; this can help farmers avoid traveling long distances

MOALI, Myanmar Seed Association (MSA),Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF), Developmetn Partners and NGOs seed projects in raising awareness

DOA Seed Division, DOA Extension, MSA, MRF and seed projects promote the use ofphones and social media in information-sharing and sales

6. Encourage seed shops to transport seed closer to villages where farmers need quality seed; this can help farmers avoid traveling long distances

7. Encourage seed entrepreneurs to promote their seed through media and digital platforms

8. Create awareness among farmers and seed entrepreneurs of social distancing measures, hand washing, and facemask wearing, guidelines adapted to the seed industry, issued by the Ministry of Health and Sports (MOHS)

Alert 2 Measures affect regulatory functions in seed import, variety release, and registration

Alert 2: Measures affect regulatory functions in seed import, variety release, and registration

What is the impact?

▪ Delay of import permit applications and approvals, hampering the importation of seed of maize and vegetable sectors

▪ Meetings of Technical Seed Committee (TSC) and Technical Working Group (TWG) are affected

▪ Delay of variety release & registration

▪ If measures continued, the quantity and quality of seed and new variety availability in the markets will be reduced

What actions are required? Who takes initiative?1. Promote the use of digital application forms for issuing seed import

permits, and link this to the ‘Myanmar Seed Portal’Plant Protection Division (PPD) of DOA develops an on-line application and approval system for issuing import permits for seed

2. Create awareness of the ‘Myanmar Seed Portal’ for seed import and variety registration

Seed Division of DOA coordinates with MSA to create mass awareness of the Myanmar Seed Portal

3. Use virtual platforms to organize the TSC , TWG and National Seed Committee (NSC) meetings

DOA coordinates the organization of virtual meetings of TSC and TWG

4. Make arrangements so that applicants who have applied for seed business/seed import/variety registration can present information to TWG and TSC through virtual means

5. Inform seed companies and seed importers that seed samples for ‘variety adaptability tests’ can be sent to the Seed Division; they do not need to come to the office physically

Alert 3 Measures affect the affordability of quality seed for farmers

Alert 3: Measures affect the affordability of quality seed for farmers

What is the impact?

▪ Negative affect on both on-farm and off-farm sources

▪ Selling summer crops harvest are already affected

▪ Returnee migrant workers of Myanmar (mainly working in Thailand)

▪ Increase unemployment in the rural sector, and limited cash availability

▪ If the COVID-19 crisis continues to the upcoming monsoon season, it will lead to increases in debt and force farmers and the rural population to sell household assets to cope with the crisis

▪ Stockpiling seed (such as of the Ayeyarmin rice variety) and creating seed shortages in the market

What actions are required? Who takes initiative?

1. Develop and promote mechanisms whereby private agro-input dealers and seed companies provide credit for seed to their farmers, like they do for fertilizers and pesticides

MSA coordinates with seed companies on seed credit for farmers

2. Support certified seed producers of paddy, pulses, beans and oil seed crops, to access agricultural loans of 400,000–500,000 MMK/Per Acre from the Myanmar Agricultural Development Bank (MADB), as relief and incentive to promote seed production and seed business development

MOALI (DOA and DOC) coordinate with other line ministries and departments, MADB, and the private sector

3. Propose extending the agricultural loan payment period and reducing bank interest rates for seed growers and seed companies during the COVID-19 crisis period

What actions are required? Who takes initiative?

4. Provide seed subsidies for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis as a palliative measure that do not affect the private sector seed business

Example: Government provide financial support to the private seed sector who provide subsidized seed as advance credit to farmers under contract farming arrangement

MOALI (DOA, DOC), MSA, and MRF collaborate on the seed subsidy model

5. Take measures to reduce seed market instability, especially regarding stockpiling and the creation of seed shortages in the market

DOA (Seed Division) coordinates with Township offices on seed shop inspections

Alert 4 Measures hamper the production and supply of early generation seed (EGS)

Alert 4: Measures hamper the production and supply of early generation seed (EGS)

What is the impact?

▪ Mobility restrictions hamper the supply of EGS by the DOA and DAR to seed entrepreneurs (seed companies, seed growers, NGO seed project)

▪ No information on the volumes of EGS stock available for different crops and varieties at DOA and DAR farms is available to seed entrepreneurs

▪ Likewise, information on the EGS demand among seed entrepreneurs of different crops and varieties in the coming seed production season is not available to MSA

What actions are required? Who takes initiative?

1. Collect data on the volume of EGS (mainly foundation and registered seed) in ‘stock’ for different crops and varieties at the various DOA and DAR farms

Seed Division coordinates the collection of EGS data, and shares information widely

MSA coordinates on the provision of EGS demand data from private seed sector

ISSD Myanmar and RSSD project to speeding up Quality Seed App

2. Share the EGS stock data widely with variety of communication channels, so that seed entrepreneurs can access it and plan seed production for the coming monsoon season

3. Collect data on the volumes of EGS production plan in the coming monsoon season at DOA and DAR seed farms and share the information widely

4. Collect data on demand for ‘Registered seed’ among seed entrepreneurs and supply it to the DOA and DAR

5. Permit, under exceptional circumstances when ‘Registered Seed’ cannot be supplied, the use of Certified Seed Class 1 (CS1) as authorized to produce Certified Seed (CS2) for Self Pollinated Crop Varieties (specially remote areas where RS seed distribution is limited, only during the COVID crisis period)

6. Speed up the use of the ‘Quality Seed App’ for digital ordering of EGS seed in the Dry zone and Delta

Next steps

Objectives of this meeting are to:

▪ Learn from each other what is currently being done in terms of COVID-19 mitigation measures by different actors on the seed sector: government, private sector, public sector and development partners

▪ Discuss what more we can do in terms of mitigation measures, looking at the four seed alerts, and the action points that were formulated

▪ Conclude on a number of action items and follow-up on implementation

Thank You !