Adaptive Approaches To Facilitating Finance In Myanmar’s Agriculture Sector: A Review

USAID’s Value Chains for Rural Development project in Myanmar, implemented by Winrock International, helped smallholder farmers and processors find affordable pre-season financing and working capital, enabling them to successfully enter higher-value domestic and international markets. As a result of five years of support (2014-2019) helping stakeholders in the soy, ginger, coffee, sesame, and melon value chains learn about market demands and connect to financing, market-oriented entrepreneurs are now producing and selling higher-quality and value-added products. They have established new, direct and transparent relationships with buyers, penetrated new markets, and are earning higher prices. “Adaptive Approaches to Facilitating Finance in Myanmar’s Agriculture Sector: A Review“ provides examples of how VCRD empowered banks, farmers, and agri-businesses to identify, evaluate and tap previously elusive – or simply unavailable – financing opportunities in Myanmar, including pre-season working capital loans, microfinance, credit for input purchases and equipment, and pre-procurement loans (trade financing) – in many cases for the first time.