Dried prawns, fish paste, dried lotia produced not only for domestic consumption but for export products

The dried prawns, fish paste and dried lotia business, which is generating the foreign income and domestic consumption, are produced from fishing business in Pyapon district, Ayeyawady region. It is reported that aquatic products are caught and exported for six months a year.
Ayeyawady Region is primarily engaged in agricultural and fisheries businesses. Fishery products are daily trading from 10 seaports. The aquatic products are caught using motor vessels and bamboo rafts from October to April. There are four types of fishing business such as England fishing business, flooding fishnet business and diamond fishnet business and common fishing business. Among them, England fishing business is the most dangerous and labour-intensive industry.
To control the scarcity of aquatic resources, fishing was banned from June to August, last year. The Fisheries Department supervised the catching of prawns and fish from fishing businesses depending on the water resources and employment opportunities.
The fishing business is only in the Pyapon district, Ayeyawady region. The dried prawns and fish paste are yearly conveyed to Ranong in Thailand and other counties while fish paste and dried lotia are sent to upper Myanmar and border areas. Thus, the fishing business is becoming more important as a business hub in the Pyapon district because the demand is higher than the supply.
“There are four teams in Pyapon district – Kapyat village, Nhaungmhee village, Phonegyithaung Chaungwa village and Pyapon Myoma village. These four teams have 205 fishing boats. The saltwater prawns used in the domestic market are caught from fishing businesses. Those fishing businesses produced mostly dried lotia and fish paste. This fishing business in the Pyapon district can create employment opportunities for the local people. The fishermen need to comply with the rules and regulations set by the Fisheries Department for the development of the fisheries business,” said U Ko Ko Lwin, the district head of the Pyapon District Fisheries Department.
Dried prawns and Myanmar fish are being exported to Thailand and ASEAN countries markets. They have also been supplied as a local staple food. — Nyein Thu/GNLM