Burma was once the world's largest rice exporter, but it lost this dominance during half a century of military rule. But as the country, now known as Myanmar, starts to climb out of poverty and isolation, the World Bank says rice cultivation and export is again a key to economic growth. Since the introduction of a civilian government in 2011 and the removal of sanctions, Myanmar's rice exports have grown significantly to 1.3 million tonnes a year. But this has now levelled off. The reason, says the World Bank, is poor quality unfit for high-value markets such as the European Union.
