Authorities are using the system of granting export licenses since September 1 if only the rice and rice products to be exported is pre-screened and are 100% ready without suspending the rice export, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
Myanmar is a country that mainly grows rice and produces more than 1,300 million baskets of rice every year, producing about 12.5 million tons of rice. Of this rice, about 10 million tons are used for domestic consumption, and the surplus of about three million tons of rice is exported to foreign countries to earn foreign income.
Myanmar exported 0.928 million tons of rice from October 2022, when the rainy season began, to August 18, 2023. As of August 21, 2023, there are 3.449 million tons of rice left in the country, and if the 2.371 million tons required for domestic consumption for the three months until November, when the new rainy season begins, there will be 1.077 million tons of rice left, and it will be able to carry out regular exports, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
In the three months from January to March 2023, rice exports earned more than US$264 million, a decrease of more than US$35 million compared to the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
In the three months from January to March 2023, Myanmar earned US$264.3 million from rice exports. In the three months from January to March 2022, Myanmar earned US$229.1 million from rice exports, a decrease of US$35.2 million comparing the two same periods.
In June 2023, more than 26,390 tons of rice were exported from maritime trade, and more than 24,950 tons of rice were exported to EU member countries, according to a statement from the ministry.
From June 1 to 30, more than 26,390 tons of rice worth more than US$13 million were exported through sea trade. More than 24,950 tons of rice were exported to EU member countries and more than 1,420 tons of rice were exported to Asian countries.
Among the EU member countries, Myanmar exported over 4,770 tons of rice to Poland, 4,360 tons of rice to Turkey, 3,225 tons of rice to Spain, 2,375 tons of rice to Belgium, 1,935 tons of rice to Germany, over 1,190 tons of rice to Bulgaria, 1,500 tons of rice to Portugal, 1,500 tons of rice to Italy, 1,000 tons of rice to Lithuania, 800 tons of rice to Hungary, 675 tons of rice to United Kingdom, 514 tons of rice to the Czech Republic, 375 tons of rice to Greece, 300 tons of rice to Lebanon, 250 tons of rice to the Netherlands, 125 tons of rice to Slovenia and some to other European countries.
Myanmar exported 1,045 tons of rice to the Philippines, more than 230 tons of rice to Hong Kong, 98 tons of rice to Singapore and 50 tons of rice to Australia.
During this period, more than 1,300 tons of rice worth US$0.602 million were exported to China through the border trade. During June, more than 27,690 tons of rice worth more than US$13.602 million were exported via maritime and border trade routes. Compared to last month's rice export, the export amount was reduced to more than 15,000 tons.
