Page 29 - Azerbaijan State University of Economics

Y.V. Aleskerovа: Economy agriculture countries: Myanmar

of Myanmar, conducted an analysis of the rural economy in recent years and offered
recommendations for its improvement.
Conclusions. Myanmar‟s economy was hurt due to its neighboring countries‟
economies slowdown by global financial crisis and the impact of Cyclone Nargis in
2008. Economic growth was recovered to 5.5 percent in 2010 as FDI inflow into the
country and as domestic investment, construction and services increased up. The ADB
said that the country needs to reduce its poverty rate based on the joint survey made by
United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Integrated Household Living
Conditions Assessment (IHLCA, 2007) done by Myanmar government. The overall
poverty rate for the country was 32 percent though the rural poverty rate was 36 percent
and urban poverty was 22 percent in 2007. The country‟s poverty rate was decreased to
26 percent in 2010 from its level of 36 percent in 2004. There were also positive
indicators such as increases in net school enrollment rate, vaccination of under 5 years
children against measles, births given with skilled medical staff, and access to safe
water, and decrease in lack of food supply and death toll of pregnant women.
Myanmar‟s government, parliament, private sector and civil society must decide
collectively whether they aspire to pursue a Long Game or a Short Game agricultural
growth strategy. By definition, government commitment to key structural and policy
reforms constitutes a prerequisite for a Long Game strategy. So the first question any
potential donor must ask is whether or not the Government of Myanmar is prepared to
increase public funding for agricultural support institutions and at the same time ramp up
the process of institutional and policy reforms necessary to raise productivity, lower
volatility and increase predictability. Private sector, civil society and donors can then
adjust their aspirations accordingly. In the absence of government commitment to key
institutional and policy reforms, the private sector, civil society and donors will be
confined to Short Game interventions. Within the Short Game, early actions in the areas
outlined above can help to lay the foundation for quick gains while at the same time
providing a bridge to Long Game structural reforms. As a result, gains in a Short Game
can help to pave the way for much greater gains in a Long Game. Our team strongly
advocates a strategy focused on the Long Game, particularly a set of early actions
necessary for enabling necessary structural reforms, but complemented by Short Game
interventions that help to increase incomes, assets, farmer skills and water management
systems that expand productive potential in the Long Game. By piloting models for
effective bottom-up research and extension, actions in a Short Game can help to set up a

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