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Report on the Policy Analysis of the Myanmar Seed Law and Seed Policy

Food Security Working GroupDecember 2015

Policy Analysis Myanmar Seed Law and policy December, 2015

-2- | Food Security Working Group

Report on the policy analysis of the Myanmar Seed Law and Seed Policy

December, 2015

The food security working group (FSWG) is a member-based network of non-government organizations, com-munity based organizations and individuals addressing food insecurity in Myanmar, directly engaging with members to build their knowledge and skills on food security and mobilizing the collective capacities of the network to identify and formulate issues for research, dialogue and policy advocacy that will benefit the lives of vulnerable communities in Myanmar. The FSWG is a diverse network encompassing a wide and varying range of skills, capacities and competencies and depth of knowledge on issues relating to food security.

Food Security Working Group

114, Danatheikdi lane, Gandamar Street,

Kabaaye Pagoda Road, Ward 8,

Mayangone Township,Yangon 11061

Tel : +95 (9) 4250 26461~2

Website: www.fswgmyanmar.org

The research was carried out by Paul Roelofsen, Dr. Min Aung and Dr. Khin Hnin Yu

with the assistance of the field survey team of the FSWG member organizations. This

research has been produced with financial assistance from Livelihood and Food Security

Trust Fund (LIFT).

Policy Analysis Myanmar Seed Law and policyDecember, 2015

-3-Food Security Working Group |

Table of ContentsSummary ...................................................................................................................................................... 4

1 Background ........................................................................................................................................... 6

1.1 Seed Law and National Seed Policy .............................................................................................. 6

1.2 Agriculture in Myanmar ................................................................................................................ 6

1.3 Seed Law and related Law and Regulations.................................................................................. 7

2 Research ............................................................................................................................................... 7

3 The seed law and seed policy ............................................................................................................... 8

3.1 History of agriculture and seed law/policies in Myanmar ............................................................ 8

3.2 The seed law ................................................................................................................................. 9

3.2.1 Revised seed law ................................................................................................................ 11

3.3 Gaps in the seed law ................................................................................................................... 11

3.4 The seed Policy ........................................................................................................................... 11

3.5 Gaps in the seed policy ............................................................................................................... 13

4 Institutional and stakeholder analysis ................................................................................................ 13

4.1 Government of Myanmar ........................................................................................................... 13

4.2 Farmers ....................................................................................................................................... 15

4.2.1 Produce in the coastal zone and Delta ............................................................................... 15

4.2.2 Produce in the dry zone ...................................................................................................... 17

4.2.3 Produce in the uplands ....................................................................................................... 19

4.2.4 Farmers as seed producers ................................................................................................. 21

4.3 Seed industry .............................................................................................................................. 21

4.4 Myanmar Rice Federation .......................................................................................................... 22

4.5 Research institutes ..................................................................................................................... 22

5 Conclusions and recommendations ................................................................................................... 23

5.1 Legal framework ......................................................................................................................... 23

5.2 Seed Law ..................................................................................................................................... 23

5.3 Seed Policy .................................................................................................................................. 23

5.4 Seed Sector ................................................................................................................................. 23

5.5 Institutional ................................................................................................................................ 24

5.6 FSWG .......................................................................................................................................... 24

5.7 Government ............................................................................................................................... 24



SummaryMyanmar has huge agricultural potential to become a credible global food supplier. Good quality seeds are one area that needs improvement in order to achieve that. Myanmar as a country is going through a major transformation with new policies and laws being adopted. The private sector is starting to emerge and grow in many different sectors, including the seed sector.

Myanmar has enacted a Seed Law in 2011 and has developed (still to be adopted by the parliament) a National Seed Policy. The Seed Law includes the rules and regulations of the seed sector related to government, seed laboratories and seed businesses. The National Seed Policy, on the other hand, includes strategies for those involved in the seed sector, thereby recognizing both the formal and informal seed sector players.

The Seed Law was formulated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, with no participation from the pri-vate sector and from the local individual farmers.

The Seed Law was enacted in January 2011 and has 4 objectives:

Objectives of the Seed Law1 To assist the development of the agricultural sector of the State by cultivating and producing

crops using pure seed2 To enable commercial seed business and to carry out such business systematically3 To encourage enabling participation in seed production and carrying out seed research of the

Government department, organizations and individuals4 To enable the government departments, organizations, international organizations, domestic

organizations and individuals to co-operate in the development of the seed business

The National Seed Policy was formulated and published in 2013 after the Seed Law came into effect. The Na-tional Seed Policy was written with the assistance of the FAO and has been developed through a participatory process, including major public and private sector stakeholders of Myanmar’s seed industry.

Objectives of the National Seed PolicyObjective To support the establishment of a sustainable seed industry through systematic and stra-

tegic approaches which would continuously create and supply new improved varieties and further support successful seed production, certification and marketing systems in order to form the basis for an overall development of the agricultural sector.

Specific objectives

- To assure continuous access of all farmers to quality seeds of improved high yielding crop varieties and promote utilization of quality seeds suited to farmers’ socio-econom-ic contexts.

- To contribute to enhancing productivity in agriculture.

- To strengthen the food security of Myanmar.

- To improve both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of rice exports.

- To obtain a marketing advantage in global rice trade.

- To improve the returns on public sector investments.

A research was conducted from December 2014 until March 2015 on the Seed Law and the National Seed Pol-icy of Myanmar. A household survey was conducted among 322 households, and 14 focus group discussions were conducted with farmers in three agro-ecological zones. Key representatives of the government were interviewed as well as representatives of the seed industry, IRRI, FAO and MRF.The table below shows the sources from where farmers obtain their seeds, per agro-ecological zone and per



produce. The vast majority of farmers obtain seeds from informal sources (keep own seeds or obtains seeds from other farmers). Cotton and maize are an exception, as seeds for these crops were mostly obtained from more formal seed providers (shops, government and traders).

Sources from where farmers obtain seeds, per agro-ecological zone per produce

A major part of the current formal seed production is government led, mostly through own production and in some cases in cooperation with farmers through on-farm production. The private sector is also playing a role in seed production and sales, but production is then mostly done through contract farming, while only some businesses produce their own seeds.In the current set-up, the Department of Agricultural Research (DAR) is producing breeder seeds and the De-partment of Agriculture (DOA) is producing foundation seeds and some registered seeds. The private sector is producing mostly certified seeds.

The government, private sector and informal sector all have a vital role to play in delivering quali-ty seeds to Myanmar farmers. The public and private sector need to work together to produce reg-istered seeds. Furthermore, the private sector could work with the more informal sector (seed villages) to produce certified seeds. This can be done through contract farming whereby companies de-liver registered seeds to rice seed producing farmers and buy back a percentage of the harvest of seeds. The companies usually clean and grade the seeds received by the farmers to eliminate empty seeds and re-maining rice husks. After cleaning, the seed companies sell the rice seeds to purchasing farmers.

What the seed law and the seed policy fail to do is to protect Myanmar farmers against malign companies. This is one of the reasons why the research team objects to 100% buy back, as the team believes that seed-produc-ing farmers should be able to sell a portion of their rice seeds on the market themselves. In other countries in South East Asia farmers became victims of (seed) companies offering free seeds and farmer inputs, but with unfavourable conditions. These conditions included delivering the harvest under market prices or giving the inputs on credit with high interest rates. This resulted in farmers making very little profit or even going into debts, particularly when harvests fail.

If Myanmar wants to improve its seed producing capacity and wants to ensure access to high quality seeds to a majority of Myanmar farmers, it has to invest in collaborations between the public sector, the private sector and farmers. The informal seed sector should be the final step between public sector, private sector and end users. As the protection of farmers is a crucial issue in ensuring seed producing capacity, it is important to look at potential changes to ensure their safety. These changes include: Revision of the law: including protection of seed farmers. Farmers/farmer representatives having a seat in the National Seed Committee.Initiating a National Seed Association that leads the seed sector and monitors the seeds sector on misconduct against abuse of (seed) farmers.



1. BackgroundThe Food Security Working Group (FSWG) is an umbrella organisation of local and international NGOs working in food security in Myanmar.

The three main objectives of the FSWG are:

1 To build the capacities of members to improve practices in food security programming; 2 To develop the knowledge, evidence base and approaches of strategically important and emerging

issues affecting food security in Myanmar; and 3 To promote dialogue, debate and policy advocacy between stakeholders concerned with food security

in Myanmar.

To contribute to the third objective, the FSWG created a Policy Study Group (PSG) that consists of staff of FSWG member organizations. The PSG took the lead in launching a policy analysis study on the seed law and policy. The specific objectives of the study are to analyze the policy and stakeholder environment related to the seed laws and policy, and provide recommendations to PSG for future policy advocacy including identified gaps and leverage points advocacy strategies and action planning (with special focus on smallholder farmers). The rec-ommendations are expected to be used to advocate for changes in policy in an effort to make the environment for smallholder farmers more conducive and to contribute to preserving food security.

1.1 Seed Law and National Seed PolicyOver the past decades, Myanmar transitioned from a country with a centrally-planned economic system, in which crop production and marketing were controlled by the Government, to a country that encourages the private sector to be involved in crop production, marketing, trading and export. The seed sector has gone through the same transition and is therefore still in development. Myanmar has enacted a Seed Law in 2011 and has developed (still to be adopted by the parliament) a National Seed Policy. The Seed Law includes the rules and regulations of the seed sector related to government, seed laboratories and seed businesses. The National Seed Policy, on the other hand, includes strategies for those involved in the seed sector; recognizing both the formal and informal seed sector players. The Policy has been developed through a participatory pro-cess including major public and private sector stakeholders of Myanmar’s seed industry.

1.2 Agriculture in MyanmarMyanmar has huge potential to become a credible global food supplier. To attain this potential, Myanmar will need to professionalize its agriculture production and enhance its farm productivity and competitiveness. This will improve the food security, as well as the Export Sector in the development of the country’s economy, which is of pivotal importance. Good quality seed is one of the most important, and at the same time, cheapest inputs to achieve an optimal production in any kind of crop, be it a cash crop or subsistence farming. In Myanmar, the majority of farmers have little access to good quality seeds for most crops. The supply of vegetable seeds has been established in many places, although often not satisfactory: certified seeds for rice cover less than 10% of the rice sown area.

The majority of Myanmar’s 51.5 million inhabitants live in rural areas. Agriculture provides the main income source of the rural population and approximately 25% of the GDP is attributed to agriculture. Major crops in Myanmar are: rice -which includes rainy season rice, dry season rice and upland rice-, various beans and pulses, corn/maize and various oil seeds.



1.3 Seed Law and related Law and RegulationsMyanmar has already enacted and drafted the following crop related Laws and Regulations:

No Title of Law or Regulation

Scope of Law or Regulation Responsible Agency

Status

1 Pesticide Law Covers the use of pesticide MOAI Enacted 1990 2 Fertilizer Law To manage the use of fertilizer MOAI Enacted 2002 3 Plant Pest

Quarantine Law To prevent pest from entering into Myanmar

MOAI Enacted 1993

4 The Seed Law To maintain quality and the use of seeds MOAI Enacted 2011 5 Law on Bio-safety To manage GMO’s MOAI Under process 6 Protecting Rights

and Enhancing Economic Welfare of farmers law

To protect farmers rights and to enhance their economic welfare. The law is designed specially to increase farmers return on investment and secure quality of farmer inputs

MOLFRD Enacted 2013

2. ResearchMethodologyMyanmar is a country with enormous differences in landscaping, meteorological characteristics as well as dif-ferent ethnicities. Myanmar can be divided into 6 agro-ecological zones as shown in the table below.Name Geographical description Administrative units Main agricultural practicesBago, Kachin Riverside Land Upper Delta, Kachin plain, flat plain

along the side of the river Ayeyarwady and Sittaung, moderate rainfall (1000-2500 mm)

Ayeyarwady Division, Kachin State, Sagaing Division, Mandalay Division, Bago Division

Rice, pulses, oilseeds, sugarcane, tobacco, and Kaing/Kyun cultivation

Central Dry Zone Central dry zone, rainfall less than 1000 mm, highest temperature in summer, flat plain, some areas with uneven topography

Magway Division, Mandalay Division, and Sagain Division

Upland crops, oilseed, pulses, rice, cotton, irrigated agriculture, Kaing/Kyun cultivation

Delta and coastal low-land Delta, lowland and mouth of rivers in coastal area, heavy rainfall (more than 2500 mm)

Ayeyarwady, Yangon, Bago and Tanintharyi Divisions, Mon State, Kayin State, Rakhine State

Rice, pulses, oil-seeds and nipa palm

Kachin and coastal upland Mountainous, slope land, heavy rainfall (more than 2500 mm)

Kachin, Mon, Kayin and Kayah States, Tanintharyi, Bago and Yangon Division, Rakhine State

Orchard, Plantation crops, fruit trees and upland agriculture

North, East and West Hills Hilly areas, uneven topography, moderate to heavy rainfall, slope land.

Kachin State, Chin State and Shan State

Upland crops, shifting cultivation and fruit trees

Upper, lower Myanmar and Shan plain

Plain, upper and lower parts outside of central dry zone, plateau

Sagaing Division, Kachin, and Shan State, Bago, Magway, Mandalay and Yangon Divisions.

Upland crops, oilseeds, pulses, vegetables and wheat

For simplification and practical time use, 3 zones were selected for this study.

Agro-ecological zones for this study States/divisionsCoastal zones and Delta Ayeyarwady Delta, parts if Rakhine and

Tanintharyi, BagoDry zone Mandalay, MagwayUpland Kachin, Shan, Chin, parts of Rakhine and

Tanintharyi



This study started with a literature review of current available literature on seed systems in Myanmar as well as international research on seed sector development. In addition, a quantitative and qualitative survey was done through 322 household surveys, 14 Focus Group Discussions, and Market Mapping to provide information about current practices among farmers. Further-more, key informant interviews were conducted with the seed industry, Myanmar Rice Federation and repre-sentatives of the Department of Agriculture (DOA) and Department of Agricultural Research (DAR).The townships were selected by the research committee and the villages were selected together with the membership organisations of the FSWG who are active in the townships.The data were analysed using excel.

Agro-ecological zone State/Division Township/village # interviewsCoastal zone and Delta Ayeyarwady Kyaung Kone 87

Kan Ka Lay 40Kwan Chan Chaung 34Yin Sine 13

Dry zone Mandalay Meiktila 120Aing Gyi Lel 30Kan Ni 30Kwet Ngel 30Myauk Lel 30

Hilly areas South Shan Ho Pone 59Paung Linn 30Tee Lone 29

Hilly areas South Shan Kyauk Ta Lone Gyi 56Kat Ku 56

322

3. The seed law and seed policy3.1 History of agriculture and seed law/policies in MyanmarThe socialist economic system which was forcibly introduced in 1962 lasted 26 years - 1962 to 1987. During the period of socialist government, the country’s agriculture policies were mainly a centrally-planned economic system, and crop production and marketing were controlled by the Government. For rice, the staple food crop of Myanmar, farmers’ paddy products were purchased using the Government’s fixed price, which is below the market price. The government also adopted subsidized policies in the agricultural sector and monopolized the export market.

In 1988, the government adopted the new Market-Oriented Economic Policy and introduced appropriate eco-nomic reformed measures. The Government gradually reduced its direct involvement in the agriculture’s econ-omy.

In 2003, the Government liberalized its Rice Policy and Open Market System. Hence, the policy of purchasing rice from the Government became non-existent. In addition, the Government encouraged the private sector to be involved in rice production, marketing, trading and export.

In 2004, the National Seed Committee (NSC) was formed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irri-gation (MOAI), comprising of the Deputy Minister for the MOAI as chairman, the Director Gen-eral of the Department of Agriculture (DOA) as secretary and representatives from the rele-vant government departments and organizations, experts and other suitable persons as members. The National Seed Committee (NSC) organized and managed all the seed business, including seed varietal development, seed production and distribution, seed import and export and seed registration. Under the Na-tional Seed Committee (NSC), the Technical Seed Committee (TSC) was also formed, for managing the technical matters, with the Director General of the Department of Agriculture (DOA) as chairman, the Director of Seed



Division of DOA as secretary, and representatives from the relevant government departments and organiza-tion, experts and other suitable persons as extended members.In 2007, with the support and encouragement of the Government, the Myanmar Rice Industry Association (MRIA), (later transformed to Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF)) was formed with the participation of farmers and rice businessmen. Under the guidance of MRF, the Myanmar Rice Millers’ Association, the Myanmar Rice Traders’ Association, the Myanmar Rice Producers’ Association and other Rice-Specialized Companies were formed. Currently, approximately 10 private seed companies have emerged and are successfully contributing to seed production.

3.2 The seed lawIn 2011, the seed law was enacted on the 7th of January. The seed law had 4 objectives:

1 To assist the development of the agricultural sector of the State by cultivating and producing crops using pure seed,

2 To enable commercial seed business and to carry out such business systematically,3 To encourage enabling participation in seed production and carrying out seed research by the Govern-

ment department, organizations and individuals; and4 To enable the government departments, organizations, international organizations, domestic organiza-

tions and individuals to co-operate in the development of the seed business.

The seed law was written in 2007 and was enacted in 2011. During that time span, some major changes took place in Myanmar, including national elections. At the time the law was enacted, the current government was not yet formed.

The seed law regulates 4 major issues:

1 Commercial seeds business and its licensing2 Laboratories for seeds testing and its regulations3 Creation and/or import of new varieties4 The role of the government in the seeds sector

Key informants like the MRF have mentioned other issues such as the importance of the purity of the seeds and seed lines. Myanmar is unique in the sense that it is able to have pure seeds and seed lines as well as is also able to export rice of one pure variety, giving Myanmar a competitive advantage. The National Seed Policy was written in 2012/2013, during a time when Myanmar had recently gone through some major changes – markets became more liberal, the infrastructure improved somewhat and a more general sense of freedom of movement emerged.

In 2013, the seed policy was formulated and published after the seed law was enacted. Although the seed policy ideally should have preceded promulgation of the Seed Law, Myanmar had al-ready passed the law. The Seed Policy will form the basis for other legislations not yet enact-ed (seed and plant protection laws, plant breeders rights legislation, farmers rights legislation etc.). The National Seed Policy is not yet adopted by parliament. The seed policy was sent to parliament mid 2014. One of the reasons parliament takes long to approve the seed policy is because of some major changes in the seeds policy in relation to the current situation, for example the clear involvement of private sector and seed producing farmers (seed villages).The National Seed Policy was formulated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation with the support of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). The process that led to the National Seed Policy was participatory, including major public and private sector stakeholders of Myanmar’s seed industry. The seed law has 12 chapters. Below is a summary of the law per chapter:



Chapter Subject Particular

1 and 2 Definitions and objectives Definitions of key terminology and defining objectives of the seed law.

3 and 4 Formation and functioning of the National Seed Committee

These chapters define who are in the committee, the role and responsibility of the NSC and mention that the NSC will establish a technical seed committee.

5 Regulations regarding new plant varieties

The process is defined on what to do when new plant varieties are developed or imported.

6 Regulations on seed laboratory The establishment and licensing of seed testing labora-tories. The role of the NSC in the licensing of the seed laboratories.

7, 8, 9 and 10

Regulations regarding seed busi-nesses and licensing

The role of the technical seed committee is explained, as well as the obligations of the license holder. Some articles are also relevant for seed laboratories.

11 Offenses and penalties Penalties are identified when seed business or seed laboratories operate without registration certificate (laboratories) or license (seed business)

12 Miscellaneous Article 31 is the most relevant for the FSWG as it mentions: ‘the seed law shall not apply to distribution and sales of seeds produced by any peasant by himself to another peasant, or distribution and sales of fruit, flowers, plants and parts of plants not for multiplica-tion. ’

The seed law is intended for commercial seed businesses, seed laboratories and the government itself as a reg-ulatory body. Small holder farmers in general are not directly targeted by this law as chapter 12 stipulates that the law is not applicable for distribution and sales of seeds which are not for commercial purpose produced by any peasant to another peasant.The law mentioned that the national seed committee consists of the deputy Minister of agriculture and irri-gation as chairman, the managing director of MAS as secretary, and representatives of relevant government departments and experts and other suitable persons. In the law the national Seed Committee is basically the executing body for the seed law. The FSWG could lobby to have suitable small holder farmers on the committee or knowledgeable people from membership organizations that advocate for the position of small holder farmers.

As mentioned in the National Seed Policy, the policy ideally should have preceded the Seed Law. The Seed Law was not formulated in cooperation/participation of key stakeholders, while the National Seed Policy was a more inclusive process (although farmer representatives were not included in the process). The result is that the Seed law and National seed policy of Myanmar do not have a clear and common vision. The Myanmar ag-ricultural policy development should be based on a vision coming from the government of Myanmar. In light of this vision (Myanmar agricultural development policy), other laws should be formulated or should be part of an overall law that is formulated in the same vision.To ensure this, laws should be formulated in cooperation/participation of key stakeholders. In this case these include the seed industry, farmers (small, medium, big farmers), research institutes, the Myanmar seed feder-ation, civil society organizations and the government itself. The DOA Director General, as well as other directors, have requested close cooperation and support from civil society. The government seems to be very aware of the need to collaborate. The exact method of how to col-laborate was not discussed in the meetings.



3.2.1 Revised seed lawThe revised seed law is now available and unofficially translated but is not yet adopted by Parliament. The main differences between the seed law that was approved in January 2011 and the revised seed law are:

- Definitions of parental lines and perennial crops are added to the list of definitions- Exporting has been added to the definitions of seeds business- The name of the department has changed from Myanmar Agricultural Services to the Department of Agri-

culture- Prescribing of registration certificate fee, registration certificate renewal fee, license fee, license renewal

fee and other fees have been added to the responsibility of the National Seeds Committee- In the chapter on “New Plant Varieties,” the introduction and the production of new plant varieties have

been split into various sections, where as before, they were grouped into one section.- The financial penalty on violating article 24, 25, 26 and 27 has been increased from 100,000 to 1 million

Myanmar Kyat. The penalty in terms of imprisonment, however, has remained at 6 months maximum.- The words ‘not for commercial purposes’ have been added to sections 31 and 32- An exemption of the distribution or sale of grains has been added to section 31- The word “export” has been added to section 37

All issues mentioned above are indeed revisions of the seed law, however, do not represent a major shift in the overall direction of the seed law. In some cases, more clarity is still needed.

3.3 Gaps in the seed lawThe law does not regulate any issue related to seeds in relation to farmers. As detailed in the report below, most seeds farmers use local kept seeds, which are used year after year. The interaction between private seed sector and (small holder) farmers was very rare, and perhaps regulation of these contacts was not necessary in 2011.

In the future, the access of farmers to improved seeds through the private sector is likely to increase because interactions between farmers and the private seeds sector will increase. The law is regulating seed businesses and their relation to the government, it is not regulating the relations between farmers and businesses. In other words, the law does not protect Myanmar farmers in relation the private sector. The presumption is that through business registration farmers are protected because businesses that don’t serve the interests of the Myanmar farmers will not be registered. This presumption is weak and the law should provide more protection for Myanmar farmers. The farmer right protection law could have filled this gap but it focuses on other areas and not on the seed business.

Farmers should be protected against companies that offer farmers contracts whereby the company is the only beneficiary and farmers are victims. Examples from other ASEAN countries have shown that poor and some-times illiterate farmers are lured into a contract with companies that give seeds for free but force farmers to sell their harvest to the company far below the market price. The farmers are often left with debt because they cannot afford to pay back loans taken to pay for other inputs like fertilizer and labour.

3.4 The seed PolicyThe National Seed Policy has 12 strategies that set out how the public sector, private sector, informal seed sec-tor and farmers collaborate in the seed sector. The overall objective and the specific objective of the National Seed Policy includes support to develop a sustainable seed industry and continuous access to quality seeds for farmers as specified in the table below.



Objectives of the National Seed PolicyObjective To support the establishment of a sustainable seed industry through systematic and stra-

tegic approaches which would continuously create and supply new improved varieties and further, support successful seed production, certification and marketing systems in order to form the basis for an overall development of the agricultural sector

Specific objectives

- To assure continuous access of all farmers to quality seeds of improved high yielding crop varieties and promote utilization of quality seeds suited to farmers’ socio-econom-ic contexts.

- To contribute to enhancing productivity in agriculture.

- To strengthen the food security of Myanmar.

- To improve both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of rice exports.

- To obtain a marketing advantage in global rice trade.

- To improve the returns on public sector investments.

Summary of the seed policy

Entities

involvedStrategy

Government / private sector

Support and sponsor as public sector activities related to seed research, foundation seed production, seed quality assurance and seed extension.Encourage the private sector, through various incentive schemes, to progressively expand its activities in certified seed production and marketing of the major crops, especially rice.Support elevating private sector capacity in both research and foundation seed pro-duction at an acceptable level by making available to the private sector the publicly available breeder and foundation materials generated by DAR and DOA. Undertake all steps and policy measures to gradually reduce the role of the public sector from commercial operations to mainly provision of services and facilitation in anticipation that the private seed sector would eventually dominate all aspects of the seed sector which lend themselves to commercial operations.Boost the demand for quality seed, the key factor for expanding the size of the seed in-dustry, through adoption of pluralistic extension approaches to support the emergence of the private sector as partner of public extension organizations, and undertaking farmers’ training on the use of quality seeds.Assist the private sector to progressively develop internal seed quality assurance struc-tures that will aid seed companies to participate in licensed seed quality assurance in due course.

Government/ private sec-tor/ informal seed sector/ farmers

Support through the Seed Division and Extension Division of the DOA the Seed Village scheme by which organized seed growers at the village level produce certified seeds on commercial basis with the goal of further commercializing it. Toward that end, Gov-ernment will initiate pilot activities involving selected seed centres operated by Seed Division of the DOA. In line with that, the Seed Division shall establish appropriate technologies and practices of out-grower schemes, seed processing and storage, and seed marketing as add-ons to existing seed processing and storage centres.Strengthen seed certification, quality control, and testing facilities.Since farmer-produced seeds remain the major source of seeds for planting, undertake efforts to improve on-farm seed management practices and link the formal and infor-mal seed systems more closely together.



Adopt a wide range of strategies to develop the seed industry and allocate the needed national resources as the prime source of funding. However, Government will be open to assistance from donors and relevant international organizations with whom Govern-ment will endeavour to establish links during the implementation.The criteria for assessing the seed policy and the national seed program should be the net benefit of the overall seed industry to farmers (both men and women), the contri-bution to overall national food security, the economic sustainability of public sector ac-tivities at minimum recurrent costs, the sustained profitability of the private sector-led business components and the absence of any adverse environmental impacts.

Government Authorize the establishment of a national seed reserve as part of a seed security scheme to safeguard against seed-related emergencies.

The seed policy is not adopted by the parliament and the approval is already lingering for some time. More than the seed law, the seed policy discusses the role of the private sector and the informal seed sector. The seed policy discusses the changing role of the government towards regulators and less towards seed pro-ducers. The seed policy creates the opportunity for the government, private sector and informal seed growers (called seed villages in the seed policy) to work together. This is a change as the seed sector was mostly gov-ernment led with little room for private sector or farmer seed growers.The seed policy focuses on 16 crops (see annex III).

3.5 Gaps in the seed policyAlthough attention is given in the seed policy to the informal sector and the importance of the informal seed sector, no position is envisioned for farmer representatives in the national seed committee. A good point in the seed policy is that there is attention for small seed producers working together with DOA or private sector in producing marketable seeds.

Although mentioned in the seed policy, there is a great need for the public sector to increase its capacity for seed certification. Anecdotic evidence has been collected that farmers produced seeds of higher quality but that the seeds could not be certified because of lack of capacity. Farmers that are able to sell certified seeds could earn up to 3000 MMK extra per basket.

The seed policy mentions the assistance of the private sector to progressively develop internal seed quality as-surance structures that will aid seed companies to participate in licensed seed quality assurance in due course. When applied, this would help the sector but it is not clear how this would work.

The seed policy should also pay attention to the protection of small seed producing farmers when they start contract farming with public or private seed companies. In the seeds policy capacity building, capacity for farm-ers on understanding contracts and understanding consequences with contract obligations should be stressed.

4. Institutional and stakeholder analysis4.1 Government of MyanmarThe government of Myanmar -through the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation-is a major player in seed production. The Department of Agricultural Research (DAR) has taken on the responsibility of the production of breeder and foundation seeds. The Department of Agriculture (DoA), however, also has some capacity to produce foundation seeds. The Department of Agriculture takes the foundation seeds from the DAR as well as their own foundation seeds to produce registered seeds.This diagram shows the formal seed multiplication of Myanmar, the various stakeholders and their functions (Joep van den Broek, Abishkar Subedi, Frans Jongeleen, Naing Lin Oo, January 2015)



The Director of the seeds division stated that they need more capacity and capacity building to produce better quality seeds.The Director of planning has indicated that he prefers that the DoA focuses on coordination, facilitation and regulation. He also mentioned that the private sector takes on a bigger role in the production of registered seeds and certified seeds. All respondents in the DAP, DoA and DAR agreed that it is crucial to involve the pri-vate sector in seed production.Years Certified seeds Registered seeds Foundation seeds Breeder seeds

Baskets Baskets Baskets Baskets2014* seeds needed (baskets) 16,000 830 180

2020 seeds needed (baskets) 5,400,000 135,000 3,375 118 2025 seeds needed (baskets) 9,000,000 225,000 5,625 197

Acres Acres Acres Acres

2014**acres needed to produce the seeds 267 14 3.0

2020acres needed to produce the seeds 90,000 2,250 56 2.0

2025acres needed to produce the seeds 150,000 3,750 94 3.3

*Data could only be provided from the rainy season 2014**These are only calculated data

In Myanmar around 12,000,000 acres of suitable rice farming land is available. Currently, no more than 5% of this area is sown with improved seeds. If by the year 2020 about 30% of the area (3,600,000 acres) would use improved seed, some 5.4 million baskets of certified rice seeds and 135,000 baskets of registered seeds would be needed. To achieve this 90,000 acres are needed for production of certified seeds, 2.250 acres are needed to produce registered seeds and 56 acres are needed to produce enough foundation seeds.If by the year 2025 about 50% of the 12 million acres would be sown by improved seeds, 9 million baskets of certified rice seeds are needed and 225,000 baskets of registered seeds would be needed. To achieve this, 150,000 acres are needed to produce the certified seeds and 3,750 acres are needed to produce registered seeds.The DoA and DAR have about 2000 acres of seed producing land. As we can see from the table above, the



resources of the government alone are not sufficient to produce enough rice seeds, the involvement of the private sector in the production of rice seeds is vital.

All these calculations are excluding the demand for seeds during the dry season. The most logical choice, then, is for the government to focus solely on the production of breeder seeds and foundation seeds, and perhaps a small portion of registered seeds while leaving the remaining part of seed production to the private sector.

Even the private sector (seed producing companies) is unable to supply half of the amount of improved seeds needed. They need to work together with farmers in villages while the farmers need to produce the bulk of the certified seeds. This can be done through contract farming whereby companies deliver registered seeds to rice seed producing farmers and buy back a percentage of the harvest of seeds. The research team object against 100% buy back as the team believes that farmers should be able to sell a portion of their rice seeds on the market themselves. The companies usually clean and grade the seeds received by the farmers to eliminate empty seeds and remaining rice husks. After cleaning the seeds, companies sell the rice seeds to farmers.

The director of the seeds division mentioned as well that currently, the government is focusing on producing an excess of seed varieties. The director stated that he would like to reduce the number of varieties to about a maximum of 10 to 15. The process of selecting these varieties is not clear and the director mentioned that he would like to have support on the process of how to select the best varieties for the country. The government also maintains a regulation function. The laws and policies are major tools in regulating. Some local authorities from Ayeyarwady region have mentioned their limited knowledge regarding the seeds law and therefore have difficulties in implementing the law. Most Director Generals and Directors as well as other key informants confirmed that the government has issues with creating awareness regarding laws and policies as well as with enforcing laws and policies.

4.2 FarmersThe farmer’s land size in the 6 townships in 3 ecological zones we visited are projected below. On average, the land size in Mandalay is the largest, followed by the Delta and finally South Shan. In other studies from the South Delta, the average land size was even bigger, around 19 acres per farmer.Average land size per State Average land size per house hold (acre)Ayeyarwady 6.1Mandalay 11.2South Shan 4.3Average research area 7.4

Projected below is the most vital produce in their corresponding regions. As can be seen in the various tables, each area produces very different kinds of produce depending on their location. First, the Coastal area/Delta results are presented, followed by Dry Zone/Mandalay and finally, upland/South Shan.

4.2.1 Produce in the coastal zone and DeltaIn the Delta, rice is the most important crop, and beans are second. Farmers in the Delta are limited in the number of crops they produce. No farmer indicated that he has more than 5 different kinds of crops.Crops in the Ayeyawaddy Delta Most important Second Third Fourth FifthRainy season rice 89.7%Dry season rice 10.3% 11.5%Black grams 32.2% 16.1%Green Grams 20.7% 3.4%Bocate bean 3.4%No crop 35.6% 80.5% 96.6% 100.0%



Seed supply in the Ayeyarwady DeltaRainy season riceMost of the seeds that farmers use in the delta are obtained from other farmers. More than 20% of the farmers keep their own seeds and 29.5% obtain seeds from traders. It should be mentioned that the villages surveyed by a questionnaire were close to the main road, with easy access to traders. Some of the Focus Group Discus-sions (FGDs), however, were conducted in more remote villages, further from the main road. During FGDs and the market mapping exercise, 76.3% of the farmers said they kept their own seeds while 20.1% of the farmers obtained seeds from other farmers. A small percentage mentioned that they received seeds from the DoA, however, in the household survey, nobody indicated to have obtained seeds from the DoA. During focus group discussions, farmers indicated that when they see that other farmers have rice seeds, they perceive them as being superior and would also like to have those seeds as they are aware that better seeds lead to higher return on investments. They indicated that if they trust that the seeds will bring them higher return on invest-ments they would be willing to pay a little extra for seeds.Rainy season RiceWhere did you obtain your seeds from Percentage FDGKeep own seeds 20.5% 76.3%Obtain seeds from other farmers 50.0% 20.1%Purchase from a shop 0.0% 0.0%Purchase from DoA 0.0% 3.6%Obtain from trader 29.5% 0.0%Others 0.0% 0.0%

Dry season riceThe seed supply for the dry season rice is similar to the seed supply during the rainy season. The differences between the household survey and the focus group discussions are the same as the rainy season rice. These differences might be related to the fact that the FGDs were done in different villages than the household sur-vey. Also, traders might have a selection of villages to which they supply. In the focus group discussions, seed supply from traders did not play any role at all but the seeds supply by the DoA does play a slightly bigger role for the FGD. As farmers perceive dry season rice as less risky, farmers would be more willing to pay for dry season rice seeds.Dry season RiceWhere did you obtain your seeds from Percentage FGDKeep own seeds 21.1% 72.0%Obtain seeds from other farmers 42.1% 26.4%Purchase from a shop 0.0% 0.0%Purchase from DoA 0.0% 1.6%Obtain from trader 36.8% 0.0%Others 0.0% 0.0%

Black gramsSeeds supply obtained from shops or traders play a much bigger role for black grams than for rice seeds. During focus group discussions, farmers mentioned that black grams are more vulnerable during disasters like a drought or flood. For years, farmers will only use seeds from inside the village, but if disaster strikes, farmers are not able to keep any seeds for the next planting season. In those cases they need to purchase seeds from outside the village. Differences between the FGD and households survey can be explained by the fact that disasters can be localized.

FGD



Black gramsWhere did you obtain your seeds from Percentage FGDKeep own seeds 35.7% 44.0%Obtain seeds from other farmers 47.6% 10.0%Purchase from a shop 0.0% 46.0%Purchase from DoA 0.0% 0.0%Obtain from trader 16.7% 0.0%Others 0.0% 0.0%

Market MapThe market map of rice seeds for rainy season and dry season rice production are similar.

The market map for farmers that produce black grams is different from rice production, as DoA does not produce seeds for black grams. Secondly, farmers that produce black grams rely more on seeds from shops outside the village. The shops obtain seeds from farmers and keep them for the next season. The shops select the seeds based on visual aspects.

For all seed markets that have been assessed in the Delta, there seems to be no (or very limited) restrictions. Farmers confirmed that restrictions are more common on the transportation of paddy rice in big quantities than for seed markets. Most farmers in the Ayeyarwady were not even aware of the existence of a seed law.

4.2.2 Produce in the dry zoneIn the dry zone, sesame is the most important produce followed by rainy season rice. The third most important crop is cotton followed by various types of peas and beans.



Seeds supply in the dry zoneSesameThe sesame seeds are obtained mainly from farmers who own seeds or from farmer to farmer trade or ex-change. During focus group discussions, farmers informed the research team that from time to time the entire harvest suffers from bad weather and farmers have no seeds for the coming season. In cases like this, farmers will obtain all the seeds for sesame from farmers in other villages.SesameWhere did you obtain your seeds from Percentage FGDKeep own seeds 65.7% 44.2%Obtain seeds from other farmers 21.0% 48.1%Purchase from a shop 3.3% 0.0%Purchase from DoA 1.0% 0.0%Obtain from trader 1.0% 7.7%NGO 8.1% 0.0%

Rainy season riceMost of the seeds for the rainy season rice are seeds that farmers keep for themselves or obtain from other farmers. Some farmers obtain seeds from the DoA or NGOs that distribute seeds. Rainy season RiceWhere did you obtain your seeds from HH survey FGDKeep own seeds 43.0% 75.0%Obtain seeds from other farmers 31.3% 25.0%Purchase from a shop 0.0% 0.0%Purchase from DoA 12.5% 0.0%Obtain from trader 0.0% 0.0%NGO 13.3% 0.0%

CottonCotton is of significant importance in the dry zone. The seeds farmers obtain are not from themselves or from other farmers but mostly from shops that sell seeds or from the Department of Industrial Crops Development. This makes cotton unique among all other crops analyzed in any of the areas.Where did you obtain your seeds from HH survey FGDKeep own seeds 0.0% 0.0%Obtain seeds from other farmers 0.0% 0.0%Purchase from a shop 43.2% 10.5%Purchase from DoA 47.7% 89.5%Obtain from trader 9.1% 0.0%NGO 0.0% 0.0%

Market mapsSesameSesame -like many other crops –is a main seed source for many farmers who function as seed suppliers, as well as farmers who keep seeds for themselves. Traders obtain the seeds from farmers and select only the best looking seeds. The traders then clean the seeds and store them until the next sowing season begins.



Rainy season RiceIn the dry zone, farmers that produce rice seem to be even less dependent on seed sources from outside sourc-es than those in the uplands or the Delta.

CottonCotton is an exceptional produce as no farmers obtain seeds from themselves or from other farmers. The main supplier of cotton is the Department of Industrial Crops Development. Farmers either obtain seeds directly from the department, or through shops that sell the seed, where access to the department is limited or diffi-cult.

4.2.3 Produce in the uplandsSimilar to Mandalay, the farmers in Shan state have indicated that they also grow a high number of crops, how-ever, the crops themselves are very different from those produced in Mandalay. In South Shan, up-land rice is the most important produce followed by Maize (corn). Other important produce includes garlic, ground nuts as well as cow peas, turmeric and Niger (Guizotia Abyssinica). In other parts of the upland, produce such as tea and sugar are more prevalent, but not in the areas we surveyed.



Seed supply in the uplandUpland riceThe seed supply for up-land rice is most closely linked to village based seed production. Most farmers keep their own seeds and very few farmers obtain seeds from other farmers. Some farmers obtained seeds from NGOs, but only in villages where NGOs work.Up-land riceWhere did you obtain your seeds from Percentage FGDKeep own seeds 80.2% 91.4%Obtain seeds from other farmers 12.8% 8.6%Purchase from a shop 4.7% 0.0%Purchase from DoA 0.0% 0.0%Obtain from trader 0.0% 0.0%NGO 2.3% 0.0%

MaizeMaize seeds are mostly obtained from shops. A little less than 35% of the farmers that grow corn keep their own seeds. The data from the focus group discussions was incomplete and therefore was not used. It was identified through the FGDs, however, that another source where farmers obtain seeds were through brokers. However, brokers were not an option in the questionnaire. MaizeWhere did you obtain your seeds from Percentage FGDKeep own seeds 34.8%Obtain seeds from other farmers 9.8%Purchase from a shop 43.5%Purchase from DoA 0.0%Obtain from trader 12.0%NGO 0.0%

GarlicThe seed material for garlic is mostly obtained within the village and most of the farmers use their own plant-ing material. Only a few farmers obtain seed material for garlic from shops or traders.GarlicWhere did you obtain your seeds from Percentage FGDKeep own seeds 80.0% 85.7%Obtain seeds from other farmers 11.4% 14.3%Purchase from a shop 2.9% 0.0%Purchase from DoA 0.0% 0.0%Obtain from trader 5.7% 0.0%NGO 0.0% 0.0%

Market mapsUp-land riceThe main supplier for upland rice seeds are the farmers themselves, while a small minority obtains seeds from other farmers.



MaizeThe market map for maize has changed over the past years. In the past, most farmers kept their seeds for the next growing season. Since Charoen Pokphand Group (CP) entered the market with hybrid seeds, many farm-ers now use hybrid seeds. Trade sources claim that CP group has 80% of the trade market (global agricultural information network). Initially, farmers received seeds directly from CP but because the market expanded, CP started using brokers (shops, traders, middleman) to expand their market.

GarlicThe market map for Garlic looks very similar to that of up-land rice with a slight difference in percentages.

4.2.4 Farmers as seed producersIn all 3 ecological zones and almost all villages, we met farmers who are known in their village as “seed pro-ducers.” Other farmers obtain seeds from them because these farmer’s seeds are better than their own. The usual pattern is that farmers exchange one basket of seeds for one basket of the same product. Still, it was the opinion of the researchers that farmers are willing to pay more for better seeds. However, the way farmers work is that they want to see evidence; they don’t easily believe in what people tell them. The farmers that have proven themselves in villages to be good seed producers have gained confidence from other farmers and know that other farmers are willing to pay more for their seeds.These ‘seed producing’ farmers could play a very crucial role in upgrading the Myanmar seed production sys-tem in terms of quality as well as in quantity. Those seed-producing farmers in the villages could be used as a locally available means to improve access to quality seeds, especially if they are trained and supported with quality seeds. One of the biggest obstacles of making good seeds available for farmers is logistics. Villages that are further from governmental seed producing centres have great difficulty in obtaining the improved seeds, even if they are willing to pay more for the seeds.

4.3 Seed industryTwo private businesses have been interviewed – one that was in the process of registering and one that was exempt from registering because it falls under the guidelines in article 32. Private businesses have confirmed that registration of international companies that is required by law is a lengthy and cumbersome process. This is hindering a potentially ideal opportunity for the involvement of private business in seed production, which is desperately needed. About 10 companies in Myanmar so far are producing seeds. The main seeds they pro-duce are rice seeds. The companies usually obtain registered seeds from the government and reproduce them through contract farming or sell them as certified seeds to farmers.

Dagon International Ltd developed the new High Yielding Rice Variety, in cooperation with IRRI. Other compa-nies produced their own varieties in other crops, like hybrid corn (CP), pulses, vegetables, etc.

Before a sale is made through contract farming, most companies clean the seeds in their processing plants and



send them in 50 kg bags. The seeds sold to farmers are seeds used for both dry and rainy seasons.

The private seed companies distribute their seeds through contract farming as well as through rice millers and in some cases through direct contact.The government encourages the private sector to become more involved in seed production and as mentioned above the government needs more support in producing seeds.There are at least three private companies working in hybrid seed production. Over the past few years the government has encouraged companies to produce hybrid seeds and has also encouraged farmers to grow hybrid seeds. For farmers working in a conducive environment for growing hybrid rice seeds, this can be very beneficial, but without just the right conditions, hybrid seeds can endanger the traditional systems for liveli-hoods of farmers.

4.4 Myanmar Rice FederationThe Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF) was established as MRF in 2012, before this time it was known as Myan-mar Rice Industry Association (MRIA). The MRF represents the private sector MRF and has 7 strategic members as shown below.

Myanmar Rice Federation (MFA)

Myanmar riceMillersAssociation(MRMA)

Myanmar Rice &Paddy TradersAssociation(MRPTA)

Myanmar Paddy Produc-ers Associa-tion (MPPA)

MyanmarFarmerAssociation(MFA)

MyanmarAgribusiness PublicCorporation Ltd (MAPCO)

Myanmar Fertilizer, Seed and PesticideEntrepreneursAssociation (MFSPEA)

Rice Specialization Companies (RSC)

The MRF has 217 members, composed largely of local businesses.

The MRF has 10 objectives they want to achieve, all of which are a mix of internal objectives about deci-sion-making within the MRF as well as external objectives like economic stimulation, relations with the gov-ernment, research and their relationship with other rice associations. The MRF sees itself as a major actor in promoting good practices, including making sure that farmer-unfriend-ly-companies change their practices. The private seed sector, (especially those working on rice seeds), are having a difficult time as many companies have lost money in contract farming because of harvests that were damaged due to unreliable weather. Contract farmers were not able to repay the contract money. Other issues include the company’s lack of technical knowledge on how to support farmers in seed production.During discussions with representatives from the MRF, they expressed willingness or even the need to play an important role in working with the Seed Division in the selection of seeds that the government should priori-tised for seed development and multiplication. As mentioned in the chapter on government, the government sees a need to focus on a smaller amount of seeds for reproduction. The MRF feels that the government listens to farmers but that the rice industry has been largely neglected. The danger in this is that the seeds that are selected by the government are less economically viable and the varieties with great economic potential are often left out. The government and the farmers might not necessarily have the knowledge on markets and market potentials.

4.5 Research institutesThe Department of Agricultural Research (DAR) as well as the Yezin Agricultural University are conducting re-search on seeds and seed production. Both institutions have their own fields where they can conduct variety trials and other planned research. For the Department of Agricultural Research (DAR),varietal trials and seed development are major parts of their work. The Yezin Agricultural University also has various types of research such as climate change and its influence on small-holder farmers.The Department of Agricultural Research (DAR) performs a crucial role in producing breeder seeds for the rice



production sector and other important crops like pulses and oil seed crops.

5. Conclusions and recommendations5.1 Legal frameworkThe seed law was formed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation. Other stakeholders such as private businesses, MRF, civil society and large, middle and small farmers were hardly involved at all. The seed law has been formulated without a larger vision from the Myanmar government as well as the absence of a vision for agriculture. The FSWG can lobby for an overall Myanmar inclusive development plan formulated in a partici-patory manner.

5.2 Seed LawThe seed law is mostly formulated as an internal document for the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, with-out involvement from relevant stakeholders. The law could be formulated with a much broader landscape of stakeholders (big, medium and small farmers, private business, MRF, civil society).

The seed law presents an option to have members on the National Seed Committee. The FSWG could lobby for representatives of farmers, membership organizations and private sector with the right skills and knowledge to push the lobby and advocacy agenda of the FSWG.

There is a need for an entity leading and managing the seed sector/seed industry. This entity should have rep-resentatives from the private sector, public sector, and farmers. This entity could also be the platform for self regulation of the seed sector as farmers, private sector and public sector are represented.

The seed law should include a section on farmer protection. In the future more contract farming will happen partly because of increase of certified seed production on farm. There will be more farmer-industry or farm-er-private business encounters and when not properly protected Myanmar farmers could be exposed to indus-try or private business that misuse farmers specially those farmers that are unable to read.

5.3 Seed PolicyThe seed policy is formulated with the support from a much wider audience. The seed policy is not adopted by parliament yet. The seed law offers a platform for much more involvement of the private sector in combination with the more informal sector. A concern regarding the seed law as well as the seed policy is that both documents neglect protection of small holder farmers against monopolisation of the seed sector and the misuse of power that comes from monop-olization.

5.4 Seed SectorNo individual entity would be able to fulfil all the needs for improved (certified) seeds. The government, pri-vate, and informal sector all play a vital role in delivering quality seeds to Myanmar farmers. The DAR’s role is to produce breeder seeds and the DoA’s is to produce foundation seeds. Public and private sector need to work together to produce registered seeds and the private sector works with the more informal sector (seed villages) to produce certified seeds. This can be done through contract farming, whereby companies deliver registered seeds to rice seed producing farmers and buy back a percentage of the harvest of seeds. The re-search team object against 100% buy back as the team believes that farmers should be able to sell a portion of their rice seeds on the market themselves. The companies usually clean and grade the seeds received by the farmers to eliminate empty seeds and remaining rice husks. After cleaning the seeds, companies sell the rice seeds to farmers. The Government also has a role in protection against the exploitation of farmers.The biggest part of seed producing Myanmar is currently informal, as most seeds that are actually sown come



from farmers themselves. As mentioned above, the role of informal seed producing farmers will most likely become more formal through contract farming. In the seed law, farmers should be more regulated and more protected by the law.

5.5 InstitutionalThe FSWG could play a role in working and assisting the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation and specifically the DAR/DoA in setting up an inclusive process to concentrate only on 10 to 15 improved rice varieties suitable for different agro-ecological conditions. The private sectors should be involved in the selection process of ap-propriate seed varieties because of their special knowledge regarding consumer markets. What should not be neglected are issues regarding seed variety conservation. This is of special importance for farmer adaptation to climate change.

5.6 FSWGFarmer protection is important and will be more important in the future. Not only in relation with seed produc-tion but also in many other areas. The FSWG should further pick-up its role in protecting farmers and defending farmer rights.

5.7 GovernmentThe government should focus on law enforcement and make sure the government has the infra structure to test quality standards and have the human capacity to verify quality standards.

Annex I List of key informantsName Position Department/organisation/companyPublic sectorDr Tin Htut Director General Department of Agricultural Planning (DAP)U Kyaw Win Director General Department of Agriculture (DOA)U Thet Zin Maung Director of Seed Division Department of Agriculture (DOA)Dr Ye Tin Htut Director General Department of Agricultural Research (DAR)U Thant Lwin Oo Director of Cereals Department of Agricultural Research (DAR)Daw Tin Tin Myint Director of Rice Division Department of Agricultural Research (DAR)Dr. Nwe Nwe Yin Director of Biotechnology & Plant Protection Division Department of Agricultural Research (DAR)AcademicsDr. Myo Kywe Rector Yezin Agricultural University (YAU)Dr. Cho Cho San Professor and Head Department of Agricultural Economics Yezin Agricultural University (YAU)Dr. Soe Soe Thein Professor Department of soil and Water Science Yezin Agricultural University (YAU)Dr. Myint Thuzar Lecturer & International Relation Officer Yezin Agricultural University (YAU)U Yar Zar Hein Assistant Lecturer Yezin Agricultural University (YAU)Internatonal organisationsMadonna Casimero IRRI Representative IRRIBui Thi Lan Country Director FAOPrivat sectorU Than Tun General manager Gold Delta ltdU Than Tun General manager Dagon international ltd

Annex II Priority crops of the seed policyCereals Food

Legumes Root and Tuber crops

Oil Seed Crops

Horticultural Crops (fruits)

Horticultural Crops (Vegetables)

Rice Black gram Cassava Groundnut Mango Hot pepperMaize Green gram Sweet potato Sun flower Banana Potato

Chick pea Yam SesamePigeon pea

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