CNI News
14 Oct 2022
Despite the growing demand for Myanmar freshwater rohu in Bangladesh, fish exports to the neighbouring country through border trade have been delayed by stop-and-search operations along the route, according to merchants in Rakhine State.
As the close season has started in Bangladesh, the demand for Myanmar freshwater rohu is growing there but stop-and-search operations along the trading route have delayed fish exports and quality of fish has dropped, a merchant from Maungdaw who exports rohu from Sittwe Port told the CNI.
He said, “There are so many checkpoints along the road. It takes longer to transport fish and restrictions have been imposed in the state. As travelling in some areas is prohibited from 6 pm, it takes three days instead of two days previously to transport fish. We cannot export goods from Maungdaw and we have to export fish to Bangladesh from Sittwe. The main problem is transportation. We could transport fish as soon as we had one truckload of fish in Maungdaw and got higher prices because fish arrived at the market on time. Now, we have to wait until we have one shipload (five truckloads) of fish in Sittwe. As a large volume of fish entered the market at the same time, prices fell. It takes longer and fish quality has dropped.”
A police station on Angumaw road.
Rohu is one of the main exports in Myanmar-Bangladesh border trade.
Moreover, authorities have closed the Sittwe-Angumaw-Maungdaw road and waterway as well as Sittwe-Maungdaw road and waterway since September. As a result, rohu exports to Bangladesh have dropped.
Merchant U Naing Myint (The name has been changed.) said authorities should open the border trade route to Maungdaw.
He told the CNI, “There are no armed clashes along Angumaw-Maungdaw road. If they open the route, business activities in Maungdaw Economic Zone will revive. The will contribute to the economy of the country. Now, they have closed the route, causing difficulties for local residents. Commodity flow has halted and prices have risen in surrounding villages. Exports to Bangladesh have been disrupted. I want authorities to reopen the road.”
A road junction in Rakhine State.
Rohu bred in Yangon is transported in cold storage vehicles to Sittwe to export it from Sittwe-Bangladesh border trade zone and Maungdaw border trade camp.
Currently trade routes to Maungdaw have been closed and traders have to rely on the Sittwe-Bangladesh border trade zone to export goods to Bangladesh despite delays.
Rohu is one of the major export items in Rakhine-Bangladesh border trade. In July, Myanmar exported 900 tons of rohu from Maungdaw border trade.
