CNI News

10 June 2024

Rice export to foreign countries is declining during the current rainy season and it is lower than last year reportedly from the Myanmar Rice Federation. 

Rice export to foreign countries is declining because it is difficult for trucks and ships to go during this rainy season and to hire labourers. Although about 150,000 tons of Myanmar rice could be exported normally in the past, currently rice less than 100,000 tons only can be exported, an official from the MRF told CNI News.

" As now is the rainy season, going by container car is no problem. But the amount of rice loaded on a big ship is reduced a bit due to weather conditions. And it's difficult to rent trucks. It's difficult to hire workers when exporting goods. We are exporting rice but the amount is not much. This year, it rained a little more. We normally exported about 150,000 tons of rice at a time like this in the previous years, but this year the export doesn't even reach until 100,000 tons." he said.

Eight ships have berthed at eight domestic ports to export 130,000 tons at present, according to the MRF. 

Although 2.5 million tons of rice and broken rice were planned to be exported in the 2024-2025 fiscal year, due to the current difficulties, they were finding alternatives to export a lot of tons of rice in the rest months of the fiscal year, said rice traders. 

They are trying to export rice by way of accumulation in the vessel's belly like broken rice reportedly.

Moreover, they have demanded to allow them to import trucks to use in carrying rice and it was necessary to export a lot of rice in the rainy season because old rice is abundant at present, U Aung Lin, a rice traders, told CNI News.

" We need to import anymore of trucks. We are finding a way that rice can be put on the ship even when it rains. It's not too bad if we can export a lot of rice in the rainy season because at present, old rice is still abundant. But in August and September, old rice is scarce when its price goes up a bit. At that time, export of rice tends to be lower." he said.

Myanmar earns about 800 million dollars from exporting rice each month as export earning and has expected to earn between 700 and 1,000 million dollars from exporting rice in the current fiscal year.