A century of rice improvement in Burma - IRRI books - International ...

CHAPTER VIConclusionsBurma’s economy will continue to rely on the agricultural sector in theforeseeable future. Rice, which occupies a prominent position in that sector,will certainly shape the economic viability, political stability, and social statusof the country. Internal rice consumption will rise with increasing population.Other cereals are not expected to assume a significant share of the dietarystaple. The demand for rice in the international market will also grow becauseof increasing populations in the rice-consuming countries of Asia, Africa, andSouth America. It is therefore imperative that rice production in the country beincreased.Science, which induced rice production growth in the last period, can spuranother wave of growth if technology appropriate to the situation can bedeveloped and installed. Science has already exploited the areas with “immediategrowth potential,” and it is crucial to extend this to areas with “futuregrowth potential.” These are the areas where rice production growth isachievable once the correct strategy is employed. The 50% area coverage ofMVs in the last period indicates that 50% of the area has “immediate growthpotential,” while the remaining 50% represents areas with “future growthpotential.”It is also possible that some parts of the future-growth-potential regionmay consist of areas with low growth potential, where topography is toorough, the soils too poor, or water too scanty or too deep to encourage aneconomically feasible and technologically applicable rice production system.Elimination of such marginal lands with low growth potential must be madean integral part of the new production campaign. It will be an importantcomponent in the process of changing from a subsistence agriculture systemto a commercial one.The new approach should include steps to identify and eliminate lowgrowth-potentialareas, although people living in these places also merit