SINCE the conclusion of the monsoon season in October 2023, Yangon Port has been bustling with cargo vessels, containers, trade activities, and employees. The Ministry of Commerce reports that Myanmar exported nearly US$2 billion worth of agricultural produce from April 2023 to January 2024. In February alone, the country exported 384,405 tonnes of rice, bringing the total exported rice for the 11 months of the financial year 2023-24 to 1.4 million tonnes.
Traditionally, rice exports have been facilitated via containers. However, due to a shortage of containers in the financial year 2021-22, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, exporters turned to stacking rice in general cargo vessels. This financial year, the volume of rice exported in containers has doubled compared to the stacking method. Europe, Africa, and Asian countries, including Bangladesh and Indonesia, remain primary markets for Myanmar rice.
In February, bean exports reached 156,950 tonnes, contributing to a total bean export of 1.2 million tonnes in the current financial year. Exporters primarily use containers to export beans to India and other Asian countries. Corn exports in February totalled 365,472 tonnes, marking the highest monthly export for corn. The total corn export for the current financial year is 891,038 tonnes. Exporters mainly transport corn by stacking it in the cargo holds of vessels, accounting for 75 per cent of corn exports, while the remaining 25 per cent are shipped in containers. Thailand and the Philippines are the primary buyers of corn.
Small-scale private vessels with capacities of 2,700-3,000 tonnes are also engaged in trading corn to Ranong and Kantang ports in Thailand. The Myanma Port Authority oversees operations to ensure timely transportation with minimal waste. It collaborates with the Myanmar Rice Federation, beans and pulses merchants, as well as the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Myanmar International Freight Forwarders Association, the Customs Department, the Department of Trade, and other stakeholders to ensure an adequate supply of containers.
Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar