Coordination Meeting: Meeting for development of agriculture sector held

A coordination meeting for the development of the agriculture sector was held on the afternoon of January 19 at the Conference Hall of the Union Minister's Office, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation in Nay Pyi Taw.

During the meeting, Union Minister U Min Naung delivered a speech, in which he stated that policies, guidelines, and implementation statuses for the agriculture sector should be systematically compiled according to fiscal years and crop types. This will help relevant organizations and officials, who will take over responsibilities, to clearly and easily understand the information and successfully continue implementation, providing good support.

He mentioned that work is being carried out to review the different local names for crop varieties used in various regions and to establish standardized varietal names, aiming to complete this task. He also emphasized the need to educate and organize farmers by sharing seed production technology and seed storage methods, so that a system where farmers can produce seeds for every crop themselves is adopted and practiced.

Following this, the Director General of the Department of Agriculture, Dr. Ye Tint Tun, explained the plans to achieve target yield rates for ten major crops such as rice, grain maize, groundnut, sesame, sunflower, mung bean, black gram, green gram, sugarcane, and cotton to ensure national food security and meet domestic consumption needs.

He also mentioned that this year, three other crops including onion, garlic, and potato will be included as major crops for achieving target yields. He presented details on rice seed production activities, the establishment of Export Zones to promote the rice sector, and the expansion plans for these activities in the coming fiscal years.

Subsequently, the directors from regions and states reported on regional management and implementation efforts, while directors of department branches explained the relevant aspects of their respective work sectors. In response to the presentations, Deputy Ministers Dr. Tin Htut and U Bo Bo Kyaw supplemented the discussions with necessary operational requirements and instructions.

Union Minister U Min Naung concluded the meeting with closing remarks. In the evening of January 20, Union Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, U Min Naung, received a delegation led by Russian Trade Representative Mr. Konstantin Kanarev and Mr. Mark Zalutskii, Founder & CEO of OSNOVA Company, at the reception hall of ministry in Office No. 15, Nay Pyi Taw.

During the meeting, the Founder & CEO of OSNOVA Company presented the progress and results of a collaborative research program conducted with the Department of Agricultural Research (Yezin). The research focused on "Yantol," a foliar spray product designed to prevent crop loss caused by the premature bursting of pods or fruit dropping in crops such as soybeans, sesame, and paddy during the pre-ripening and harvesting stages.

He also detailed future research plans for the product. In response to the presentation, the Union Minister discussed several areas for cooperation, including enhancing collaboration in research and technological development, providing support to ensure that the importation, local production, and distribution of Yantol foliar spray align with existing laws and procedures, the potential establishment of a local manufacturing factory to produce and distribute the foliar spray within Myanmar to effectively support the country's agricultural development and exploring opportunities for the export of these locally produced agricultural inputs to foreign markets, it’s reported.