Myanmar’s Ministry of Commerce has claimed self-sufficiency of rice, following floods that wrecked several paddy fields and livestock establishments earlier this month
More than 500,000 tonnes of rice are in stock for the months of October, November and December, said the ministry. Even though several rice fields were affected or destroyed, the Ayeyawaddy region, which is a key rice producing belt, wasn’t affected too badly.
The country’s harvest season is expected to begin in October.
The floods affected more than 1.4mn acres of fields, said local reports. However, the ministry revealed that around 800,000 acres of paddy fields were destroyed in Myanmar. Several key roads were also badly damaged as a result.
Due to the widespread destruction, the Myanmar Rice Federation had imposed a temporary ban on rice exports until 15 September. However, after assessing the situation, the federation decided to lift the ban. Myanmar’s Ministry of Commerce permanent secretary Toe Aung Myint said they didn’t wish to lose the stronghold over the export market and was working with several departments to ensure rice exports were not affected.
