Farming
FARMING BEANS AND PULSES IN MYANMAR
Myanmar, known as the Golden Land, has excellent natural resources for beans and pulses. We source from lower Myanmar and the delta areas. The nutrient rich soils are ideal for beans and pulses. These crops enrich the soils, keeping these areas open to agriculture for years to come.
The fertile delta area is famous for agriculture with families dependent on farming for their livelihoods. We source mostly from Wakema, Kyaung Kone, Ein Me, Gyo Bin Gauk, and Let Pa Dan in the delta area.
This region is 80% farmland. Most farmers have worked on this land for generations. It is quiet and peaceful and perfect for growing beans. We source unpolished green mung beans and black matpe here.
The wide, flat land is perfect for ploughing, management, and harvesting. Along the river edges, the trees stretch into the vast distances. On a sunny day, the green fields are a beautiful contrast against the blue sky. People work side by side with bullocks and live in traditional houses.
The Irrawaddy, our country’s largest river, travels through the delta area, known as “abounding in riches”. Our farmers’ fields cover large stretches of the golden land. The delta regions form a fertile plain with the Irrawaddy, branching out into many tributaries before flowing into the Andaman Sea.
Contact United Dragon for Myanmar green mung beans.
Lower Myanmar is a 1.5-hour drive from our factory. We work with farmers in Thongwa, Thanlyin, Kyaukt Tan, Khayan, and Kawa. The air is clean and the land green, turning yellow at harvest.
Our farmers’ fields lie alongside the Yangon River which deposits rich, river silt every rainy season.
The Yangon River also flows directly into the Andaman Sea. Most of the crops are rainfed. This is the best area for growing sprouting beans. Here we source mung beans for the EU sprouting market.
We source polished and unpolished green mung beans that include sprouting type sourced from lower Myanmar, and food grade sourced from lower, middle, and upper Myanmar.
Black eyed beans are sourced from lower Myanmar and the delta areas.
We source butter beans from middle and upper Myanmar. Brown and black matpe beans are from the delta area.
Soil and climate
Beans enjoy our tropical climate of 20–30°C on a wide range of soils from sandy loam, heavy clay loam and black cotton soils. The different types of soils influence other crops grown in the same year, such as sesame seed, groundnuts, and rice. These are critical for income and home consumption.
Rains in Myanmar are the heaviest from June to September. After the rain, starting in November during the winter months, farmers prepare the land and sow their seeds. Two weeks after sowing, the fields are full of farmers thinning their crops to prevent overcrowding and stunting.
The leaves come out one month after sowing with green bean pods. It is a pleasure to watch the pods get bigger and change colour to brown, knowing there will be high yield.
Then comes the busy harvest in the dry season from February to May. Food grade mung beans are harvested in February too, and in the rainy season.
We support our farmers with good agricultural practices (GAP) to ensure quality and reduced losses. Our farmers work hard to harvest their crops. It takes a lot of time and care.
Contact United Dragon for Myanmar black matpe beans.
Supporting our farmers
United Dragon sources from 100,000 hectares and collects from over 500 growers. 20% are women and over half are youth.
On average, each farming household produces 1 ton per year. In rural areas, a household has 5–7 family members. This means that our business ultimately benefits 2,500–3,500 people.
We work with local traders, small-scale farmers, and cooperatives. We supply seeds to get the best quality sprouting beans.
We also work with experienced extension trainers from the Ministry of Agriculture. Once a year, we bring our farmers together for good agricultural practices (GAP) training. Our small-scale farmers are then able to sell their produce at premium prices armed with their GAP training certificates.
We purchase their high-quality beans and pulses, giving farmers a sustainable income. United Dragon also provides financial support to reliable farmers if needed.
We have strong, long-term relationships with our collectors, who gather produce from the farmers and deliver it to us. We work with 20–30 collectors across the sourcing regions: 25% are women and 50% youth. They ensure that our produce is of high quality and is stored and transported with care.
Contact United Dragon for premium
Myanmar beans and pulses.
