CNI News
3 October 2023
Myanmar had to stop exporting live cattle and buffaloes to China during the Covid-19 pandemic and at present, preparations are being made to re-export them, according to the exporters of cattle and buffaloes.
The trucks that had officially carried live cattle and buffaloes were shot by armed groups on the union main road where there are military conflict and there were also incidents of deaths and injuries.
If authorities designated a place for cattle and buffaloes trading somewhere in Mandalay Region, it would be convenient, said an official from the Cattle Exporters Association, to CNI News.
" Designate a place in Mandalay Region for trading cattle and buffaloes, Chinese traders will come there to buy. We'll pay the tax for cattle we sell there. Armed groups disturb the traders only and they don't disturb Chinese people. Traders from all over the country will come and sell their cattle at the place designated. Chinese traders will come and buy there. These are things that were officially bought. These are theirs if they make a loss or make a profit. Asking Myanmar traders to go to the border and sell cattle are like asking them to compete and it encourages the black market. If you want to know how you should do, you should do after consulting with people who are experts in this business." he said.
While seeing the trucks loaded with cattle to be exported to China
U Min Naung, Union Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation signed on the agreement with General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China in relation to exporting cattle from Myanmar at the meeting of modern Silk Road implementation held in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Southern China on 18 September 2023.
After that, they discussed about building cattle farms depending on the quantity and amount and producing sustainably the live cattle and iced beef reportedly.
When the live cattle are exported to China through Muse border route, it is difficult to place cattle and to find food for them. So, it is necessary to designate a place for trading cattle around Mandalay Region, said traders. Although the Department of Livestock and Treatment is collaborating with the Ministry of Commerce for exporting cattle to China, it is necessary to lay down the policies in cooperation with expert traders, said U Soe Naing, a cattle trader, to CNI News.
"A person from the livestock federation phoned me recently. He said that we could re-export cattle to China. In fact, they don't know anything about trading cattle. I don't work on it anymore because it wasn't convenient. It is necessary to cooperate with those who have been active on the ground so that it will be convenient. If inconvenient, the people will make a loss." he said.
Most of the cattle ranches in Myanmar are located in Mandalay, Sagaing and Magway Regions. Cattles and buffaloes from Myanmar are being exported to China, Thailand, India and Bangladesh through official or illegal channels.
