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David Spielman

David Spielman is the director of IFPRI’s Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit and has been with the institute since 2004. His research agenda covers a range of topics including agriculture and rural development policy; agricultural science, technology, and innovation; plant genetic resources and seed systems; agricultural extension and advisory services; and community-driven rural development.

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Development Strategies and Governance

May Thet Htar

Research Analyst

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Bio

May Thet Htar holds a Master’s degree specialized in Agribusiness and has previously worked as the head of market research at a leading agribusiness group in Myanmar. She has collaborated with Yezin Agricultural University on several research projects. In 2022, she has won best paper award at Asia Pacific Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Energy. She has been awarded Manaaki Scholarship from the New Zealand Government twice for her post graduate studies at Lincoln University and Massey University. She has also been involved in several NZAID development projects implemented Myanmar.

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Publications

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Report

Myanmar monthly food price report – January 2026

2026Htar, May Thet; Minten, Bart; Masias, Ian
Details

Myanmar monthly food price report – January 2026

In January 2026, rice prices declined sharply year-on-year and stabilized month-on-month after several months of continuous decline, driven largely by lower international prices and monsoon-season supply. While these trends have eased pressure on consumers, they raise concerns for paddy producers facing rising input costs. Pulse markets showed mixed dynamics. Black gram, chickpea, and pigeon pea remained below last year’s levels reflecting continued weak demand from India, though modest month-on-month gains were observed following weather-related production concerns. Green gram prices remained higher year-on-year but softened slightly month-on-month due to delayed winter planting. Maize prices stabilized month-on-month, supported by improved export expectations and regional feed demand. Vegetable prices were generally lower year-on-year, while animal-sourced foods continued to record substantial year-on-year increases, particularly mutton and fish, reflecting supply constraints and export demand. Overall, food markets remain influenced by international price movements, export policy adjustments, and ongoing regional disruptions.

Year published

2026

Authors

Htar, May Thet; Minten, Bart; Masias, Ian

Citation

Htar, May Thet; Minten, Bart; and Masias, Ian. 2026. Myanmar monthly food price report – January 2026. Myanmar Monthly Food Price Report January 2026. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/181858

Country/Region

Myanmar

Keywords

Asia; South-eastern Asia; Food Prices; Food Security; Crops; Agricultural Marketing; Rice

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Report

Resource thumbnail

Report

Myanmar Monthly Food Price Report – December 2025

2026Htar, May Thet; Minten, Bart; Masias, Ian
Details

Myanmar Monthly Food Price Report – December 2025

Rice prices declined sharply in December 2025 nationally, falling by 20 percent year-on-year and 5 percent month-on-month. These declines were driven by falling international prices and increased market supply from the monsoon harvest. All states and regions saw stable or declining prices month-on-month, with the largest drops observed in major rice-producing regions such as Ayeyarwady (30 percent) and Sagaing (19 percent). While these trends benefit consumers, they raise concerns for paddy producers, especially in light of rising agricultural input costs. Prices of pulses diverged. Green gram prices rose sharply year-on-year (21 percent), supported by export demand following China’s decision to ease its temporary suspension. In contrast, black gram, chickpea, and pigeon pea prices remained well below last year’s levels, reflecting weak demand from India. Maize prices also declined year-on-year (6.5 percent). Animal-sourced food prices surged over the past year, led by mutton (up 58 percent), due to lower production, while fish prices rose amid strong export demand. Multiple risks lie ahead, including weak international agricultural commodity prices, ongoing conflict, export quality concerns, import restrictions affecting livestock production, border trade and regional policy changes, and policy uncertainty, all of which may undermine agricultural incentives, farm incomes, and food security.

Year published

2026

Authors

Htar, May Thet; Minten, Bart; Masias, Ian

Citation

Htar, May Thet; Minten, Bart; and Masias, Ian. 2026. Myanmar Monthly Food Price Report – December 2025. Myanmar Monthly Food Price Report December 2025. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180549

Country/Region

Myanmar

Keywords

Asia; South-eastern Asia; Food Security; Food Prices; Crops; Agricultural Marketing; Rice; Animal Source Foods

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Report

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Disruptions to agrifood value chains in fragile and conflict-affected states: Evidence from Myanmar

2026Goeb, Joseph; Minten, Bart; Aung, Zin Wai; Htar, May Thet; Sabai, Moe; Syntb, Kham Nang Lun; Zu, A Myint; Mahrt, Kristi
Details

Disruptions to agrifood value chains in fragile and conflict-affected states: Evidence from Myanmar

Agrifood value chains (AVCs) play crucial roles in food security in fragile and conflict-affected economies where there are widespread challenges and disruptions to business operations, food access, and incomes. Yet, given these challenges, safe data collection is challenging in conflict-affected settings and, as a result, the evidence on the disruptions AVC businesses face is thin. In this paper, we rely on novel panel data from AVC businesses in Myanmar, one of 7 countries in the world with extreme conflict. This short paper documents the disruptions experienced by businesses at several levels of the food supply chain, including farmers, input retailers, crop traders, rice millers, and food vendors. We also provide evidence on the implications for prices by analyzing price changes over this period: farm input and sales prices using farm survey data, food retail using data from food vendors, and dietary cost estimates combining consumption and price data. Our results highlight vulnerabilities in food supply chains in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Potential opportunities to strengthen food supply chains in such settings include ensuring access to banking and financial services; minimizing transportation disruptions to mitigate widening gaps between producer and consumer prices; and maintaining access to fuel and electricity as well as cellphone internet networks. Efforts to support these areas could stabilize food availability and reduce food prices, while also increasing farm-gate shares of food prices thereby supporting rural incomes. JEL codes: Q13; Q11; 013

Year published

2026

Authors

Goeb, Joseph; Minten, Bart; Aung, Zin Wai; Htar, May Thet; Sabai, Moe; Syntb, Kham Nang Lun; Zu, A Myint; Mahrt, Kristi

Citation

Goeb, Joseph; Minten, Bart; Aung, Zin Wai; Htar, May Thet; Sabai, Moe; Synt, Kham Nang Lun; Zu, A Myint; and Mahrt, Kristi. Disruptions to agrifood value chains in fragile and conflict-affected states: Evidence from Myanmar. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review. Article in Press. First published online on May 5, 2025. https://doi.org/10.22434/ifamr.1204

Country/Region

Myanmar

Keywords

Asia; South-eastern Asia; Agrifood Systems; Value Chains; Conflicts; Food Security; Prices

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.22434/ifamr.1204 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Research

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