Millets: A Potential Crop for Myanmar’s Food-Resilient Future

Myanmar has been facing widespread conflict since 2021. This has severely disrupted the supply of agricultural inputs and goods, resulting in reduced crop production and worsening food insecurity, especially in conflict-affected areas. In such challenging circumstances, millet could be an ideal crop for Myanmar amid the conflict, limited input availability, rising prices, and logistical constraints.

In 2021, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets, recognising its resilience and nutritional value. Millet can thrive under high temperatures and in degraded soils while requiring minimal water, pesticides, and fertilisers. With its high nutritional value, climate resilience, and adaptability, millet offers an important solution for countries like Myanmar which face conflict, climate stress, and hunger.

Myanmar continues to face moderate hunger levels and high rates of malnutrition, alongside increasing exposure to extreme weather events such as storms and droughts. Compared to rice, wheat and maize, millet — which has a low water footprint — is capable of growing under drought conditions. Millet’s resilience offers a unique opportunity for Myanmar’s farmers, who are struggling with the impacts of conflict and supply chain disruptions. According to the Myanmar Agricultural Performance Survey by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), 10 per cent of farmers in highly insecure areas reported lacking access to chemical fertilisers during the 2024 dry season, compared to only 3 per cent in the most secure areas. Compared to the national average, insecure communities faced urea prices that were two per cent higher than the national average. The price of urea – the most commonly used inorganic fertiliser — had tripled in the monsoon season of 2023 compared to the same period in 2020.

At the same time, disruptions in transportation have also affected supply chains for agricultural goods and food items, making food security in Myanmar increasingly vulnerable. During the first two and a half years of widespread conflict, the retail price of rice more than tripled. The most affected regions are the northern and western parts of Myanmar — Sagaing, Magwe, Chin, Kayah and Kachin States — which are also Myanmar’s major millet-producing areas.

Millet has deep roots in Myanmar’s agricultural history, with archaeological evidence indicating its presence in the Bagan region as early as 1,100 years ago (1000-1200 AD). In 2021, the country ranked 18^th in terms of production area and 19^th in production volume worldwide, making it the leading millet producer in Southeast Asia. The highest recorded millet production was in 1983, when millet production reached 281,439 tonnes from a harvested area of 236,394 hectares (Figure 1).

Millet: Worth a Second Look

Figure 1: Myanmar’s Millet Production (1981-2023)

In the central regions — Mandalay, Magwe, and Sagaing — millet is often cultivated as animal fodder or as a cash crop. In highland areas such as Chin, Kachin, and Kayah states, it is consumed as a substitute for rice, mixed with rice or used for brewing traditional wine. Most millet growers in Myanmar rely on seeds saved from their previous harvests, which minimises dependency on external input chains. Furthermore, local trading practices — where millet is sold primarily within production areas — reduce exposure to logistical bottlenecks that affect other major crops such as rice and maize. In Chin and Kayah States, for instance, millet is purchased mainly by local communities for traditional wine production, keeping the value chain close to the producers.

Despite its resilience and cultural and economic significance, millet’s full potential remains underappreciated. This is mainly due to structural and perception barriers.

Despite its resilience and cultural and economic significance, millet’s full potential remains underappreciated. This is mainly due to structural and perception barriers. Historically, Myanmar’s agricultural policies have prioritised rice self-sufficiency, leaving minor cereals like millet underfunded in research, dissemination of scientific knowledge and market development. Social perception also plays a role – millet is often viewed as an animal feed or a poor person’s crop, rather than as a nutritious staple. Limited household-level knowledge of millet preparation further constrains consumption.

Millet has a role to play given Myanmar’s circumstances. Myanmar currently ranks 75^th out of 123 countries on the 2025 Global Hunger Index, with a moderate hunger score of 15.3. Undernutrition remains a major concern for rural children, reflected in high rates of wasting, stunting, and the incidence of children being underweight. Millet can be used as a weapon in the battle against malnutrition, particularly among children. In 2018, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) conducted a study on the potential for “smart food” crops in rural areas of the Mandalay region. The institute selected millet because it is locally produced yet underutilised for human consumption. A two-week inclusion of millet flour in children’s diets showed positive impacts. It reduced wasting and the incidence of children being underweight. The children accepted millet-based recipes as readily as rice. Millet-based porridge with eggs and vegetables was also tested successfully in Yangon.

Moreover, millet can support export diversification. China is currently the main export market, with smaller volumes going to Thailand, Singapore, Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates. With proper investment in varietal improvement, quality assurance, and marketing, Myanmar could expand its millet exports while strengthening local food systems.

As Myanmar navigates overlapping crises of conflict, climate change, and malnutrition, millet stands out as a resilient, nutritious, and locally adapted solution. For Myanmar, scaling up millet cultivation and encouraging its inclusion in local diets is not just an agricultural strategy — it is a pathway to greater food security, resilience, and self-reliance.

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