Myanmar exports over 710,000 tonnes of beans, pulses in 5 months

YANGON (Xinhua): Myanmar exported more than 710,000 tonnes of beans and pulses worth US$556 million between October 2021 and February 2022, according to figures released by the Ministry of Commerce on Thursday (March 10).

From Oct 1 last year to Feb 25 this year, Myanmar shipped 662,169 tonnes of beans and pulses via sea routes and transported 48,446 tonnes of beans and pulses through land borders, the ministry said.

The country's current six-month interim budget period started on Oct 1 last year and will end on March 31, 2022.

The South-East Asian country announced changing its fiscal year (FY) from the original October-September to April-March beginning 2022-2023, producing the six-month interim budget period.

"Pulses, beans and sesame seeds export of Myanmar is the second highest among the global counterparts and the highest among the South-East Asian countries," the Myanmar Pulses, Beans and Sesame Seeds Merchants Association said.

The country exported over 2 million tonnes of beans and pulses worth more than US$1.5 billion in 2020-2021 fiscal year, the ministry's data showed.

China is one of the largest buyers of Myanmar's beans and pulses. Other countries including India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Japan also imported beans and pulses from Myanmar.

Beans and pulses are Myanmar's second most cultivated crops after rice and account for 33 per cent of the country's total agricultural production.