Marketing and Profitability of Crops in Pyawt Ywar Pump Irrigation Project

Pyawt Ywar Pump Irrigation Project (PYPIP) is one of more than 300 pump irrigation projects (PIP) constructed by Government of Myanmar over the last 20 years as part of its strategy to increase agricultural production, particularly of rice. The scheme draws water from the Mu River through one primary and two secondary pump stations, irrigating a range of crops including paddy (monsoon and summer), green gram, chickpea, sesame, groundnut, wheat, maize and cotton. The scheme was constructed in 2004 with a nominal command area of 5000 acres, (1300 ac paddy + 3700 ac other crops), but actual area irrigated has consistently been much lower (1538 ac in 2013-14; and 950 ac in 2014-15). Poor performance of PIPs is reported to be the result of a range of technical, operational and agronomic issues, from an inefficient layout to inappropriate crop choices. The Livelihoods and Food Security Trust (LIFT) supported Irrigation and Water Utilization Management Department (IWUMD) to rehabilitate and upgrade the PYPIP scheme to bring it into full operation and improve productivity of the scheme.