Farm commercialization and farm services: Myanmar Agricultural Performance Survey (monsoon 2025)

This Working Paper presents findings from an assessment of farm commercialization and farm services during the 2025 monsoon. The analysis is based on data from the Myanmar Agriculture Performance Survey (MAPS), a phone-based survey conducted with 4,553 crop farmers across all states/regions of the country during Q1 of 2026. Our findings reveal the following: Insecurity continues to affect farming, as reflected in the substantial share of farmers who feel unsafe and report being unable to move freely to buy inputs or sell outputs without serious concerns for their safety. Twenty-three percent of farmers reported feeling “very insecure” or “insecure” during the survey period. Additionally, 7 percent reported that some agricultural fields in their area could not be cultivated due to conflict. Furthermore, 9 percent of farmers expressed fear of storing produce at home because of the risk of confiscation or destruction. Despite challenges related to fuel and mobility, agricultural inputs were largely available during the monsoon, reflecting the resilience of the private sector in supplying these goods even under difficult conditions. However, labor scarcity is becoming more pronounced, seemingly linked to migration and insecurity. Input prices continued to rise, with fertilizer prices increasing by 24 percent compared to two years earlier. Other input costs, including mechanization and wages, increased even more. On the output side, prices for paddy—grown by 64 percent of all farmers during the monsoon—fell over the last two years, leading to reduced investments and lower agricultural productivity. Other crops linked to export markets also experienced price declines or only moderate increases over the same period, including pigeon pea (-18 percent) and maize (+28 percent), compared to much larger increases for more domestically consumed crops such as tomato (+178 percent), betel nut (+75 percent), and betel leaves (+43 percent). Most farmers reported either stabilization or worsening of agricultural sales income compared to the previous monsoon. Thirty-nine percent of farmers reported lower incomes in the 2025 monsoon season than in the previous monsoon, with 22 percent experiencing declines of more than 20 percent. Only 30 percent reported an increase in sales income. The use of agricultural credit during the 2025 monsoon continued its decline, falling from 47 percent of farmers in 2021 to 38 percent in 2025—a decrease of 9 percentage points. This decline occurred across all agro-ecological zones except the Delta. Access to agricultural extension services remained at levels similar to previous years, with 35 percent of farmers accessing some type of extension service. Security challenges continue to hinder crop commercialization in Myanmar. Conditions vary across states and regions, with the Delta—the country’s rice bowl—experiencing relatively better security conditions. Farmers in conflict-affected areas face greater obstacles to commercialization, including reduced availability of agricultural inputs.