Traders and agri-food value chain resilience: The case of maize in Myanmar

Myanmar has experienced a sequence of dire crises beginning in 2019 including the unexpected closure of a principal trade route, COVID-19 lockdowns and travel restrictions, and a military coup leading to years of disruptions in the banking and transport sectors, inflation, and conflict. Yet, through...

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Autor principal: Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity
Formato: Artículo preliminar
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140303
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author Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity
author_browse Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity
author_facet Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity
author_sort Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Myanmar has experienced a sequence of dire crises beginning in 2019 including the unexpected closure of a principal trade route, COVID-19 lockdowns and travel restrictions, and a military coup leading to years of disruptions in the banking and transport sectors, inflation, and conflict. Yet, through these cascading shocks Myanmar’s maize sector experienced robust growth in production and exports. This paper examines the reasons underlying this apparent paradox and our findings contribute to the small but growing literatures on agri-food value chain (AVC) resilience and adaptation by traders. Strengthening the resilience of AVCs to shocks has important implications for welfare in developing countries and is increasingly drawing attention from policymakers and development partners. Using data from several sources including rare panel data sets of traders and farmers, and key informant interviews, we show that crop traders have been critical to the resilience of the maize value chain in Myanmar during this turbulent period. Maize traders performed three key functions contributing to resilience: (i) market discovery when primary trade routes were closed; (ii) overcoming transportation disruptions and bank closures to move maize from the farmgate to local and export markets; (iii) maintaining flows of credit to farmers throughout the crises in the form of selling inputs on credit and lending cash, thereby injecting much needed liquidity at times of incredible uncertainty, disruptions in the banking sector, and rising input prices.
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spelling CGSpace1403032025-11-06T06:34:24Z Traders and agri-food value chain resilience: The case of maize in Myanmar Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity banks agricultural value chains coronavirus covid-19 transport inflation maize markets trade coronavirinae agrifood systems conflicts coronavirus disease credit resilience Myanmar has experienced a sequence of dire crises beginning in 2019 including the unexpected closure of a principal trade route, COVID-19 lockdowns and travel restrictions, and a military coup leading to years of disruptions in the banking and transport sectors, inflation, and conflict. Yet, through these cascading shocks Myanmar’s maize sector experienced robust growth in production and exports. This paper examines the reasons underlying this apparent paradox and our findings contribute to the small but growing literatures on agri-food value chain (AVC) resilience and adaptation by traders. Strengthening the resilience of AVCs to shocks has important implications for welfare in developing countries and is increasingly drawing attention from policymakers and development partners. Using data from several sources including rare panel data sets of traders and farmers, and key informant interviews, we show that crop traders have been critical to the resilience of the maize value chain in Myanmar during this turbulent period. Maize traders performed three key functions contributing to resilience: (i) market discovery when primary trade routes were closed; (ii) overcoming transportation disruptions and bank closures to move maize from the farmgate to local and export markets; (iii) maintaining flows of credit to farmers throughout the crises in the form of selling inputs on credit and lending cash, thereby injecting much needed liquidity at times of incredible uncertainty, disruptions in the banking sector, and rising input prices. 2023-12-20 2024-03-14T12:09:16Z 2024-03-14T12:09:16Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140303 en https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.134723 https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.344306 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wdp.2025.100699 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity (MAPSA). 2023. Traders and agri-food value chain resilience: The case of maize in Myanmar. Myanmar SSP Working Paper 46. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.137041.
spellingShingle banks
agricultural value chains
coronavirus
covid-19
transport
inflation
maize
markets
trade
coronavirinae
agrifood systems
conflicts
coronavirus disease
credit
resilience
Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity
Traders and agri-food value chain resilience: The case of maize in Myanmar
title Traders and agri-food value chain resilience: The case of maize in Myanmar
title_full Traders and agri-food value chain resilience: The case of maize in Myanmar
title_fullStr Traders and agri-food value chain resilience: The case of maize in Myanmar
title_full_unstemmed Traders and agri-food value chain resilience: The case of maize in Myanmar
title_short Traders and agri-food value chain resilience: The case of maize in Myanmar
title_sort traders and agri food value chain resilience the case of maize in myanmar
topic banks
agricultural value chains
coronavirus
covid-19
transport
inflation
maize
markets
trade
coronavirinae
agrifood systems
conflicts
coronavirus disease
credit
resilience
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140303
work_keys_str_mv AT myanmaragriculturepolicysupportactivity tradersandagrifoodvaluechainresiliencethecaseofmaizeinmyanmar