Refresher training course: MoALI UM delivered the opening remarks

The opening ceremony of the refresher training course on analyzing yield gap for achieving target rice yields was held on the afternoon of June 30, at the Agricultural Education and Rural Development Training Center (AERDTC) in Yezin, Zeyathiri Township, Nay Pyi Taw.

During the ceremony, Union Minister for Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation U Min Naung delivered a speech, stating that rice, a crucial staple for the nation, is cultivated annually on over 17 million acres including monsoon and summer rice.

In the 2024–2025 season, monsoon rice was cultivated on 14.8 million acres, achieving an average yield of 79.72 baskets per acre. Although this is the national average, yields vary across regions depending on natural water and soil conditions with the highest yield recorded at 90.28 baskets per acre and the lowest at 48.45 baskets per acre.

Compared to neighboring countries, production remains comparatively low. To develop the rice production sector, two main approaches are being pursued expanding the cultivation area and increasing the yield per acre. However, due to limitations in further expanding land area, efforts are now focusing on increasing acreage through multiple cropping, including summer rice, and improving yield per acre through strategies based on “Seed, Soil, Water, and Technique.”

To reach target yields, Yield Gap Analysis will be conducted to identify the causes of the gap between the experimental yield (from research) and the actual yield (achieved by farmers), focusing on the contributing factors including seed quality, soil conditions, water management, and cultivation techniques.

In support of this initiative, staff from the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Survey, and the Department of Irrigation and Water Utilization Management will be trained through the enumerator training provided in this refresher course, to collect necessary data through field surveys.