At the request of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation of Myanmar (MOAI), a joint FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM)) team visited the country from 5 October to 4 November 2008. The main objective of the Mission was to analyze the food supply situation for the forthcoming year at the national and subnational levels (particularly in Cyclone Nargis-affected areas) and estimate food and agricultural assistance needs. Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar on 2 and 3 May 2008, affecting the food security of approximately 2.4 million people in Ayeyarwady and Yangon Divisions, through damage to agricultural land, destruction of the livestock and fishery sectors and depletion of food markets. The Mission assessed the 2008 main-crop harvest, forecasted 2008/09 production of secondary crops, and estimated food aid requirements and agricultural assistance for the 2008/09 marketing year (November/October). This assessment also ascertained whether transport and marketing infrastructures have recovered from the disaster.

The Mission team held meetings with relevant institutions, including Government, international agencies, donors, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and the private sector. Available data and information on food security was also collected and reviewed from different sources. At the institutional level, interviews were conducted with leaders of agricultural research institutes; staff of the Myanmar Agriculture Service (MAS) of various states, districts, and villages; staff of the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department (LBVD); staff of the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries (MoLF); and staff of NGOs in the field. Field trips visited 11 out of 17 of the country’s states and divisions in all ecological zones of the country. The Mission team observed crop-growing conditions, analysed the key factors (such as rainfall, fertilizer, disease/insects, price, cost of production), and assessed the yields under various categories. Interviews were conducted with villagers (farmers, labourers, fisherman, etc.), rice/food traders, fertilizer traders, and millers.

The interviews covering households and hospitals collected first-hand information on food consumption, nutrition and health, and coping strategies (remittances, non-agriculture activities, changes in food consumption and assistance by the Government, WFP, NGOs, etc.). In addition, telephone interviews were conducted with the government officials of townships/districts from both Delta and Chin State, that could not be visited by the Mission. The Mission had a briefing session with MoAI in Nay Pyi Daw, prior to the field trips and held debriefings with MoAI and MoLF in Nay Pyi Daw and NGOs in Yangon, prior to its departure.

The FAO team was comprised of the following members: Dr Cheng Fang (FAO team leader), Dr Maung Mar (Agronomist), Dr Thanda Kyi (Economist), Ms Aye Mon (Agronomist), Mr Naing Lin (Data Specialist), and Mr Bernard Cartella (International Agronomist). The WFP team included: Mr Jan Delbaere (WFP team leader), Mr Michael Sheinkman (Senior Regional Programme Advisor), Mr Raul Varela Semedo (International Consultant), Mr Aaron Charlop-Powers (International Consultant), Ms Nang Seng Aye (Programme Assistant), Ms San San Nwet (Programme Assistant), and Mr. Thet Naing (WFP Programme Assistant). Mr. Siddharth Krishnaswamy (WFP Myanmar VAM Officer) contributed to the report

We would like to thank the MoAI for its strong support to the Mission. We are grateful to Dr Shin Imai, the project staff in the Emergency and Rehabilitation Coordination Unit (ERCU) and colleagues in the FAO Office, Yangon for their strong support. We also gratefully acknowledge the considerable efforts of our WFP colleagues in Yangon and in the field.