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3.90. The National Seed Policy was adopted (...) on 12 August 2016, and went into force on 12 August 2016. Chapter 6, subtitle (d), states that "[t]he Government will investigate, in collaboration with its development partners, the applicability of relevant aspects of GMO technology to Myanmar to derive desired benefits. However, it will remain alive to possible negative side effects of GMO technology and encourage the research institution to acquire expertise and skills in practices of modern biotechnology, particularly with regard to bio-safety in the application of GMO technology. Only non-food GMO crops will be partially accepted." Accordingly, GMO imports are allowed only for research purposes.

3.91. (...) The National Seed-related Committee (NSC) (...) does not accept applications for GMO crops that are intended for food crops. The NSC may accept non-food GMO crops, such as BT cotton (GMO cotton), which is intended for industrial crops. The Horticulture and Plant Biotechnology Division under the DOA of the MOALI is the focal division responsible for drawing up a Biosafety Law, a framework, and Guidelines to sow GMO crops systematically. The Plant Biotechnology Centre under the Division tests GMO and non-GMO imported crops, and issues GMO or non-GMO certificates. This certificate is essential for obtaining the recognition certificate for a new plant variety from the NSC.

3.94. (...) the State-Owned Economic Enterprise Law No. 9/89. The Law stipulates that SEEs must operate on a commercial basis. According to the Law, certain activities are reserved for the State. After obtaining a permit under the Law, investors in the following 12 reserved sectors must register their joint-venture investment at the MIC: extraction and sale of teak; cultivation and conservation of forest plantations (except village-owned firewood plantations cultivated by villagers for their personal use); (...)

Table 3.12 Change of situations regarding SOEs
Name of enterprise: Hydropower Generation Enterprise
Changes in situation and date (privatized, merged, renamed, dissolved, transformed, or newly emerged): Renamed as the Electric Power Generation Enterprise on 1 April 2016
Current status: Electric Power Generation Enterprise under the MOEE, composed of thermal power plants under the Myanmar Electric Power Enterprise and Hydropower Plants, and a coal power plant under the Hydropower Generation Enterprise

3.98. (...) Section 2.1 of the Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan (MSDP) aims to develop a national policy based on a comprehensive review and assessment of existing State-owned economic enterprises (SEEs) (...).

3.126. The Plant Variety Protection Law, which was subsequently amended (...) was adopted in 2016, and entered into force in January 2017.(...) The Amendment was made on 24 September 2019 to align with the Act of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) Convention, 1991. (...)

4.2. Myanmar's agriculture is endowed with relatively abundant land, water, and labour resources. There are, however, substantial risks to farming due to natural disasters, particularly cyclones, monsoonal flooding, and droughts. [3] (...)

[3] The last major natural disaster occurred in 2015, when severe flooding from July to September affected 12 of the country's 14 states and divisions.

4.5. The most recent Agriculture Policy Statement dates from 2016. The Agriculture Development Strategy 2018 aims to operationalize the Agricultural Policy for the FYs 2018/19-2022/23. Its priority objective is to improve food security, safety and nutrition. Furthermore, Myanmar adopted (...) the Myanmar Climate Smart Agriculture Strategy(...).

4.12. According to the authorities, Myanmar does not provide any input subsidies, including for fertilizers and irrigation equipment (...) For water tariffs, the Irrigation and Water Utilization Management Department collects taxes in accordance with the provision of Chapter 3 of the Water Tax and Embankment Tax Law, 2017 (...).

4.17. The National Rice Reserves Supervisory Committee was established on 7 January 2012, with the mandate to purchase rice on a tender basis from states and regions, donate rice to areas affected by natural disasters, and sell rice to domestic consumers or export surpluses. The Committee established the bidding rules and regulations in 2012, and determines the region for intervention, and the price and purchase volumes. The bidding floor prices are set in terms of the lowest purchase price based on production cost. (...)