Study: 35% of rural Myanmar people rely on loans
A joint research by Michigan State University and the Myanmar Development Resource Institute found that 35 per cent of rural people in Myanmar need loans to buy a constant supply of food, while 50 per cent face food insecurity at least two months a year.
Given that Myanmar has a population of around 60 million and 70 per cent live in rural areas, a whopping 14.7 million people are dependent on loans for food. Around half of the households in rural areas are landless, meaning that people cannot supply themselves through farming.
Thus, although Myanmar is said to have 26 per cent poverty rate, the figure could be much higher, the study assumes. The poverty rate in rural areas is two times higher than in the urban areas, accounting for 80 per cent of the total population’s poverty rate.
The government meanwhile has stepped up microfinance services to reduce the poverty rate. But that could even cause a heavier burden on the farmers, the researchers said.
The largest number of poor households is concentrated in the states of Chin, Rakhine and Shan while the poverty rate is growing in the populous regions of Ayeyawady and Mandalay.
A joint research by Michigan State University and the Myanmar Development Resource Institute found that 35 per cent of rural people in Myanmar need loans to buy a constant supply of food, while 50 per cent face food insecurity at least two months a year. Given that Myanmar has a population of around 60 million and 70 per cent live in rural areas, a whopping 14.7 million people are dependent on loans for food. Around half of the households in rural areas are landless, meaning that people cannot supply themselves through farming. Thus, although Myanmar is said to have 26...
A joint research by Michigan State University and the Myanmar Development Resource Institute found that 35 per cent of rural people in Myanmar need loans to buy a constant supply of food, while 50 per cent face food insecurity at least two months a year.
Given that Myanmar has a population of around 60 million and 70 per cent live in rural areas, a whopping 14.7 million people are dependent on loans for food. Around half of the households in rural areas are landless, meaning that people cannot supply themselves through farming.
Thus, although Myanmar is said to have 26 per cent poverty rate, the figure could be much higher, the study assumes. The poverty rate in rural areas is two times higher than in the urban areas, accounting for 80 per cent of the total population’s poverty rate.
The government meanwhile has stepped up microfinance services to reduce the poverty rate. But that could even cause a heavier burden on the farmers, the researchers said.
The largest number of poor households is concentrated in the states of Chin, Rakhine and Shan while the poverty rate is growing in the populous regions of Ayeyawady and Mandalay.
