The Myanmar arm of the German food retail group Metro AG has raised a USD 20 million loan from the International Finance Corporation (IFC). According to a Myanmar Times article, IFC said the funds would help increase the company’s incomes. It is expected to improve the quality of local produce, moves that would benefit local consumers in the country. Metro Wholesale Myanmar is a joint-venture between Frankfurt-listed Metro AG and the Yoma Strategic Holdings (YSH). The deal is structured as an 85 percent-15 percent, respectively. Vikram Kumar, IFC’s country manager for Myanmar and Thailand, was quoted as saying the move will “ensure the availability of safe, high-quality foods from the farm to fork, increasing the agribusiness sector’s export potential”. The Myanmar government has recently begun opening the retail and wholesale market to foreign players.