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Monitoring the impact of COVID-19 in Myanmar: Agricultural production and rural livelihoods in two irrigation schemes – November 2020 survey round

Страны
Мьянма
Источники
IFPRI
Дата публикации
Происхождение
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Hiroyuki Takeshima, Phoo Pye Zone, and Ian Masias

Mechanization service providers (MSP) in Myanmar were originally surveyed by telephone over three rounds in May, June, and July 2020 to determine how their businesses were being affected by COVID-19 related restrictions. Most of the MSPs interviewed were engaged in providing farmers with tractor-related services. The results of those surveys were published in Myanmar Strategy Support Program Policy Notes 07, 12, and 17, respectively. To trace the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their economic activities, a fourth round of the survey of MSPs was done in early-November 2020, administered mostly to those engaged in harvesting activities. This note reports on the results of the fourth survey, as well as some trends seen between the earlier survey rounds and this last one.

Key findings

• Combine harvester and tractor service providers engaged in the harvesting and the transport of harvests continue to face restrictions, particularly in the movement of their machines. However, MSPs generally managed to provide timely services to farmers for harvesting and charged similar hiring rates as in 2019.

• MSPs perceive movement restrictions to be increasingly common. They principally attributing these restrictions to COVID-related regulations.

• Financial challenges continue to affect farmers, many of whom approach MSPs for informal financial support.

• The expectations of MSPs on their business prospects continue to remain dire, although there have been some improvements since earlier survey rounds.
Recommended actions • Support measures that allow for the sufficient movement of MSPs while containing COVID-19 spread. Continue granting MSPs exemptions to COVID-19 related controls that limit MSPs’ abilities to provide farmers with the services they require.

• Adjust loan repayment terms for machines and other equipment owned by MSPs.
Consider offering temporary loans, waivers, or reductions of MSP business expenses.

• For tractor service providers, facilitate greater non-farm use of their tractors, as this will mitigate some of the revenue losses that they are experiencing in the farming sector.

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