Myanmar’s cotton can contribute to improving the country’s socioeconomic conditions and serve as a resource for meeting citizens’ clothing needs. Among the three basic necessities of human life, clothing is the second most important after food. Therefore, cotton cultivation should be expanded, and yields increased, with greater emphasis placed on developing this agricultural sector to ensure self-sufficiency in domestic cotton consumption and generate foreign exchange earnings through exports.
In Myanmar, cotton cultivation covered more than 800,000 acres in the 2011-2012 financial year, but the cultivated area declined year by year. Efforts were made in subsequent years to promote cotton cultivation. During the 2021-2022 cotton-growing season, the average yield of cotton was 436 viss per acre across over 330,000 acres. In 2025-2026, cotton cultivation covered over 540,000 acres, with an average yield of 499.2 viss per acre. Such cotton production substantially exceeds domestic demand.
At current global market prices, cotton is valued at between US$1,800 and US$1,900 per tonne. If Myanmar can achieve its targeted cotton yield of 700 viss per acre, sales of surplus cotton could generate approximately US$500 million in additional revenue. As cotton cultivation is a beneficial sector for the country, the relevant ministries as well as cotton farmers should make concerted efforts to achieve the targeted yield per acre.
At present, Myanmar still imports a large proportion of the cotton yarn, fabrics and textiles required for domestic consumption, spending substantial amounts of foreign currency each year. Therefore, farmers should cultivate long-staple cotton varieties that offer high yields, are resistant to diseases and are suitable for local climatic conditions, such as Ngwe Chi and Shwe Taung varieties. In addition, efforts must be made to ensure the timely distribution of high-quality, pure cotton seeds to meet farmers’ needs.
To achieve high yields and superior-quality cotton, it is essential to follow Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). For pest and disease prevention and control, modern techniques such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and crop rotation should be adopted rather than relying excessively on chemical pesticides alone. To ensure the systematic implementation of these practices, agricultural experts must continuously conduct research, studies and evaluations, while consistently transferring technical knowledge to farmers to raise their awareness.
In the era of traditional agriculture, success was measured primarily by “quantity” – how much the cultivated area had expanded and how much yield had been achieved. However, in today’s increasingly competitive global market, quantity alone is no longer sufficient to remain competitive. The time has come for the cotton-growing sector to make a necessary transition from quantity to quality.
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