THE United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) plans to start a project to provide updated agricultural market information to local farmers, said Mr Tang Zhengping, the organisation’s Myanmar representative.

He said the project will be conducted in cooperation with the Department of Agricultural Planning under the Ministry of Agriculture.

Mr Tang said the objective of the project will be to provide market and price information to farmers, and to make improved analysis of data available to policymakers.

The project will be implemented by setting up a marketing information service team to compile data on the prices of agricultural produce and other information at big markets in areas like Mandalay and Yangon.

The team will also be responsible for training additional staff to collect information from different markets and to process data, Mr Tang said, adding that the information will be distributed to traders and farmers throughout the country using a variety of media, including television and radio.

“Especially in remote rural areas, farmers can use radios to get market information when electricity is not available,” he said.

FAO marketing economist Mr Andrew W Shepherd visited Myanmar in January in response to a request from U Tin Htut Oo, the director general of the Department of Agricultural Planning, for assistance in reviewing the current agricultural market information service situation in Myanmar and identify ways to cooperate in the development of the sector.

During his visit Mr Shepherd met operational and management level staff at various institutions responsible for distributing information about agricultural markets. Discussions focused on needs in the area of capacity building, as well as in technical expertise on marketing extension methods and on tapping into international value chains in agricultural products.