CNI News
15 November 2024
The watermelon agricultural industry in Myanmar done by businessmen from China has been moved to Laos and Vietnam because there are territorial instability as a result of political conflicts in Myanmar, according to watermelon traders.
It is especially because there are transportation difficulties and China-Myanmar trade border gates have been closed.
In moving their watermelon agricultural industries to Laos and Vietnam, Chinese businessmen took Myanmar workers who had worked in their business to Laos, a Myanmar watermelon farmer told CNI News.
" Chinese businessmen have moved their watermelon agricultural business to Laos and Vietnam. In Myanmar, as you know, there is no security due to political conflict. But in Laos and Vietnam, trade is convenient and both countries are close to China. Chinese citizen businessmen who grew watermelon in Myanmar took their former Myanmar workers to Laos in an illegal manner, paying travel cost. Hiring Lao workers is very expensive." he said.
While seeing a watermelon plantation
The cultivation area of watermelon is about 150,000 acres and Chinese businessmen hire land and grow half of the area.
Although Chinese businessmen have moved to Laos, the local watermelon market could be hurt a little because the cost has a gap of more than half between growing watermelon in Myanmar and those in Laos.
" The impact on the local market is just a little because Chinese businesses don't come and grow. Although the cost is just 7,000,000 kyats per acre in Myanmar, if they grow watermelon in Laos and Vietnam, the cost will be 15,000,000 kyats. Rental fee for land and labor charges are low in Myanmar." said Ko Thitsar, a watermelon trader.
While seeing a watermelon plantation
Moreover, because Chinese businessmen have moved to Laos and Vietnam, Myanmar watermelon farmers could enjoy benefits as they could grow watermelons with Chinese technology. So, the farmers would have prospects, said Myanmar watermelon farmers.
Moreover, although transportation is convenient in Laos and Vietnam, Chinese businessmen could enter Myanmar again in the future because rental fee for land and labor charges are higher and the quality of the watermelon grown there in the two countries could not catch up with that in Myanmar.
