Rice traders from Mandalay should not solely depend on China and to find new markets in Yangon, said Mandalay Region Chief Minister Dr Zaw Myint Maung in a meeting of Myanmar Rice Federation held at Mandalay on February 9.

China frequently blocks rice export in border trade sector, which leads to farmers and traders suffering, said Dr Zaw Myint Maung.

“Mandalay Region is not producing rice but it is important hub for transportation. Mandalay is the transportation hub of Myanmar. About 50 per cent of border trade for rice and paddy goes through Mandalay. I want to say to the rice traders to learn the policy of China. We will have difficulties if we only depend on a single market. We need to find new markets for rice in Europe and Africa,” said the Chief Minister.

“The State Counsellor said it is time to modernize the agriculture sector with latest concepts and techniques in the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit 2018. We have to think of it seriously. We have to produce food based on agriculture. It is important to control quality. We have problem with keeping good quality. The rice brokers decided the quality of rice by looking at them on their palms. It made the farmers suffer as the rice brokers decided the quality of rice themselves,” said the Chief Minister.