Myanmar: Vegetable Impact Cluster

The productivity of the vegetable sector in Myanmar is increasing. A group of Dutch horticulture companies already active in Myanmar aimed to function as a catalyst of this growth and initiated the Vegetable Impact Cluster Myanmar project, which plans to work with the main stakeholders in the country's vegetable supply chains: smallholder producers, domestic and export traders and input suppliers. Advance Consulting has assisted in setting up the Impact Cluster and in obtaining a 50% grant of the Dutch government.

The Vegetable Impact Cluster Myanmar will support the vegetable sector stakeholders in Myanmar with (a) knowledge, information and training services; (b) business development support; and (c) support with product innovation and other R&D activities. Through the project, the Dutch business partners also wish to establish and/or strengthen their business relationships with Myanmar business partners leading to a long-term cooperation and presence in the Myanmar vegetable sector.

The project partners will implement pilot tests in four different vegetable supply chains to demonstrate the impact of cultivation improvements, value adding activities and supply chain efficiency on the income of growers and other supply chain partners. Centred around four different vegetable product-market combinations the project will facilitate new forms of cooperation between supply chain partners and the introduction of inclusive production and market innovations.

The four pilots will relate to

(i) the improved production, storage and marketing of onions to the domestic markets and to other ASEAN countries;

(ii) the cultivation and marketing of out-of-season and new grades of tomatoes for the domestic market;

(iii) substitution of imported carrots with a domestic product;

(iv) establishment of a dedicated supply chain of quality mung bean to the EU sprouted bean industry.

Part of each pilot will be a transfer of know-how to Myanmar supply chain partners and specific studies into the economics and conditions for implementation. The outcomes of these pilot activities will be used as references/models for further scaling up, capacity building and expansion beyond the conclusion of this project. In terms of impact, it is expected that the project will lead to increased vegetable sales, income improvements and better food and nutrition security of the smallholder farmers in some of the main vegetable production regions in Myanmar.

The Vegetable Impact Cluster Myanmar project will work under the guidance of the Vegetable Sector Acceleration Taskforce (VSAT) and is 50% funded by RVO Netherlands Enterprise Agency. The Dutch companies cover the remainder of the project costs. Technical support will be provided by experts of the companies in the consortium together with agronomists of Wageningen University and Research.

For more information on this project, please contact Titus Sendrowicz.