Performance of emergent aquaculture technologies in Myanmar; challenges and opportunities

Abstract

This paper assesses the performance of small-scale aquaculture technologies and factors influencing production, associated income and fish consumption of such technologies within agri-food farming systems in Myanmar. Farmer participatory research carried out between May 2017 and December 2018 showed that fish production could be substantially increased using available yet hitherto unused water resources through adoption of improved extensive aquaculture technologies. The technologies were tested in existing earthen ponds, Chan myaung (garden-irrigation systems) and WISH ponds (Water and Fish artificial ponds lined with tarpaulin). The Chan Myaung and WISH pond technologies were adapted and introduced in rural and urban contexts respectively. Both systems demonstrated considerable potential as a source of additional household income and food with potential for wider adoption in Myanmar. Urban households from the Central Dry Zone (CD), Upper Myanmar benefited more than rural households involved in this trial in the Ayeyarwady Delta (AD) through enhanced direct consumption of fish while the latter gained more income from selling fish. This indicates the higher relative importance of aquaculture in terms of improving access to nutritious food for households living in the food-insecure CDZ than for households in AD, where aquaculture is more commercially oriented.Farmers gained a higher production (10,875 kg/ha and 5182 kg/ha equivalents; 117 kg/household (hh) and 8.3 kg/hh and income (12,895 USD/ha and 8383 USD/ha equivalents; 128 USD/hh and 13.4 USD/hh) from monoculture of pangasius (Pangasius hypophthalmus) and nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in the AD and CDZ respectively. However, the gross margin (1134 USD/ha and 3433 USD/ha) and benefit-cost ratio (1.1 and 2.2) from these species were lower than for other selected treatments. In terms of returns on investment silver barb (Barbonymus gonionotus) (1.9) and tilapia (2.2) proved to be the most profitable species in the AD and CDZ respectively. Rohu (Labeo rohita) monoculture showed similar results in production and gross margin to tilapia, however it could prove to be more successful than other species due to local fish preferences. In general, rohu in monoculture was the treatment that performed the best in terms of securing the highest gross margin. It was concluded that significant potential exists to develop small-scale aquaculture systems that can improve income and nutrition of all types of producers from both regions. Reference is made to the potential impacts of such changes on households if these systems and species were adopted more widely in Myanmar.