Crop Insurance: Challenges and Opportunities for Myanmar

Author(s): 
Pranav Sethaputra
Organization(s): 
Grow Asia

Due to the centrality of smallholder agriculture to achieving food security in the region, in recent years the importance of enhancing smallholder risk management strategies has become increasingly salient in Southeast Asian nations like Myanmar. However, offering crop insurance to smallholders is challenging due to impediments which include cost, the scattering of plots across vast rural areas, unreliable data and the lack of resources being placed in raising awareness on the importance of risk management on the farm level.

It is for this reason that on 8 November 2018 the Myanmar Agriculture Network (MAN – the Grow Asia Country Partnership in Myanmar), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MOALI), ran a joint Consultation Workshop in Nay Pyi Taw on crop insurance schemes. The main objectives of the event were to (1) elaborate on what institutional frameworks for agricultural insurance currently exist in Southeast Asia and Myanmar, (2) hear plans and experiences from the public and private sector and (3) address how challenges currently being faced can be overcome through multi-stakeholder partnerships. Ultimately, through consultative workshops such as these MAN and MOALI hope to set a sector-wide agenda around crop insurance schemes in Myanmar aligned with current and future government policies.

This document is a summary of the key points raised during the workshop and is intended to be used as a reference point to guide future dialogue and action.

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