Bean export earnings increase over 280 m USD over nine months

Bean export earnings increase over 280 m USD over nine months
Published 15 July 2019

Over nine months of this fiscal year, Myanmar exported over 1.2 million tons of bean and pulses, up over 400,000 million tons compared with the same period last year, according to an official of the Commerce Ministry.

The official said: “We earned 775.109 million US dollars from the exports of 1240224.100 tones of bean and pulses. In the same period, last year, we earned 494.967 million USD from exports of 834679.280 tons of bean and pulses.”

The export earnings increased by 280.142 million USD this year.

The bean and pulses account for 22 per cent of the total growing areas. Myanmar mainly grows Mung bean, green gram, pigeon pea and --. This sector generates over 40 per cent of the country’s total income, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishery.

In 2017-18 FY, the agriculture  sector including faming, fisheries and forest accounted for 25.7 per cent of the GDP, 24.4 per cent of the total overseas income and 61.2 per cent of the employment opportunities.

Bean growing areas stand second after the paddy growing areas. It can generate more than 40 per cent of overseas income. Mung bean, green gram, pigeon pea, chick pea, soybean and cow pea make up 80 per cent of the total bean and pulses growing area.

Myanmar mainly grows 19 out of more than bean crops in Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway, Bago, Yangon, Ayeyawady and Shan.

In 2018-19 FY, more than 300,000 acres of soybean are grown in Sagaing, Mandalay, Magway, Shan, Kachin and Kayin as monsoon and winter crops.

At a press conference on the ministry’s third-year performance, Deputy Commerce Minister Aung Htoo said: “The price of Mung bean is around Ks 900,000 per ton and pigeon pea, Ks around one million per ton. The bean farmers get the suitable profits.”