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With research staff from more than 60 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

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Elodie Becquey

Elodie Becquey is a Senior Research Fellow in the Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit, based in IFPRI’s West and Central Africa office in Senegal. She has over 15 years of research experience in diet, nutrition, and food security in Africa, including countries such as Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, and Tanzania.

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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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Brief

Understanding recent prices increases of animal-source foods in Myanmar

2025Minten, Bart; Aung, Nilar; Aung, Zin Wai; Htar, May Thet
Details

Understanding recent prices increases of animal-source foods in Myanmar

The livestock sector in Myanmar represents a significant component of the national economy, contributing approximately 6 percent to the country’s GDP. Beyond its economic role, the sector provides critical livelihood opportunities for rural households and underpins the supply of animal-source foods (ASF), which are essential for enhancing dietary diversity and nutritional outcomes. A resilient and efficiently functioning livestock sector also generates important multiplier effects, contributing to poverty reduction, employment creation, and overall economic growth (Diao et al. 2024). This note summarizes recent structural and market developments in Myanmar’s livestock industry and examines their implications for ASF price dynamics.

Year published

2025

Authors

Minten, Bart; Aung, Nilar; Aung, Zin Wai; Htar, May Thet

Citation

Minten, Bart; Aung, Nilar; Aung, Zin Wai; and Htar, May Thet. 2025. Understanding recent prices increases of animal-source foods in Myanmar. Myanmar SSP Research Note 126. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institution. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178051

Country/Region

Myanmar

Keywords

Asia; South-eastern Asia; Prices; Animal Source Foods; Price Volatility; Livestock Systems

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

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Report

Myanmar Monthly Food Price Report – September 2025

2025Htar, May Thet; Minten, Bart; Masias, Ian
Details

Myanmar Monthly Food Price Report – September 2025

Rice prices in September 2025 declined nationally, falling by 8 percent year-on-year and 5 percent compared to the previous month. The decrease was driven by international market trends and downward pressure from the incoming monsoon harvest. Prices either stabilized or declined across most states and regions in the country. Export crop prices diverged, with green gram rising this year due to strong international demand, while black gram and pigeon pea declined year-on-year due to reduced demand in India. Animal-sourced food prices surged over the last year – e.g. pork rose by 55 percent – due to rising production costs, while fish prices rose amid strong export demand. Multiple risks lie ahead, including falling international rice prices, ongoing conflict, quality concerns, import restrictions, and disruptions in border trade, all of which may undermine agricultural production, farm income, and food security.

Year published

2025

Authors

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

Citation

Htar, May Thet; Minten, Bart; and Masias, Ian. 2025. Myanmar Monthly Food Price Report – September 2025. Monthly Food Price Report September 2025. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177515

Country/Region

Myanmar

Keywords

Asia; South-eastern Asia; Food Prices; Rice; Animal Source Foods

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Report

Resource thumbnail

Brief

Agricultural input retailers in Myanmar: Insights from the 2025 monsoon season

2025Goeb, Joseph; Htar, May Thet; Zu, A Myint
Details

Agricultural input retailers in Myanmar: Insights from the 2025 monsoon season

This Research Note presents results from an August 2025 phone survey of 227 agricultural input retailers – who provide agricultural inputs and informal credit to farmers – in Myanmar’s major agro-ecological zones. Key Findings • Input sales declined sharply in the 2025 monsoon relative to 2024. Fewer retailers sold inorganic fertilizers and pesticides, and aggregate sales for those who did sell declined by 31 percent for inorganic fertilizer and 10 percent for pesticides. • The decline is not solely due to supply shortages: smaller areas planted, weaker farm profits, and conflict have dampened demand, while climate change and the 2025 earthquake add to input market stress. Two-thirds of retailers cite lower input demand from climate change in the past three years, and earthquake impacts – while more localized – disrupted market access and areas planted. • Transport remains the dominant business disruption. Even with a slight drop in overall reported disruptions compared to 2024, transport problems – higher costs, checkpoints and roadblocks – still dominate. Long input supply chains dependent on imports and flowing through Yangon mean that checkpoints and higher costs compound as inputs reach rural farmers. • Farmer finances are stressed, especially in rice-dominant areas. Farmers are asking for and taking more credit from input retailers. This likely reflects tighter liquidity following the recent global rice price decline, which has reduced incentives and profitability for monsoon paddy. • Credit provision is expanding but adding risk. More retailers are providing credit to farmers and sourcing their inputs on credit from suppliers. Yet, two-thirds of retailers that provided credit in 2024 still have unpaid debts from farmers, raising the risks of cascading financial stress. • Measures to ease transport constraints, stabilize access to imported fertilizers and pesticides, and expand formal credit options for both farmers and retailers would help sustain this essential link in the agrifood system.

Year published

2025

Authors

Goeb, Joseph; Htar, May Thet; Zu, A Myint

Citation

Goeb, Joseph; Htar, May Thet; and Zu, A Myint. 2025. Agricultural input retailers in Myanmar: Insights from the 2025 monsoon season. Myanmar SSP Research Note 125. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/177266

Country/Region

Myanmar

Keywords

Asia; South-eastern Asia; Farm Inputs; Markets; Transport; Supply Chains; Prices; Rice

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

Research

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