Pattani and Mae Hong Son continue to rank among the top five provinces with the highest poverty rates in the country for over 15 years. The NESDC points out that the problem is deeply rooted in several provinces, where inequality remains difficult to reduce, with the majority of poverty concentrated in the agricultural sector.

MYANMAR’S government has been urged to rein in the rise of the kyat and ease the impact of a decline in export competitiveness on the country’s manufacturing and agricultural sectors.