Around 10,000 herds of cattle for export to China stuck in Muse since the end-last year

Around 10,000 herds of cattle that have been planned to export to China have been stuck in the Muse trade zone till now since the end of last year, said U Soe Naing, chairman of the Mandalay Region Cattle Exporters Association.

At present, about 10,000 herds of cattle owned by 150 companies are stranded at the Muse border. The labour wages and feedstuff cost burden them and it costs K400,000-K600,000 to take care of 100 herds of cattle every day, according to the association.

Consequently, some of the traders are going back to their original places while the others are trading under illegal markets because of the high costs of labour wages and feedstuff.

Although China does not prohibit the purchase of cattle from Myanmar under trading illegal market, China permits cattle import under legal market only after ensuring that the cattle are free from 20 diseases including foot and mouth disease.

Earlier, 1,500-2,000 herds of cattle were daily traded through the Muse border. Now, Chan halted the cattle trading under a legal route.
Because of the suspension of China’s cattle trading market, Myanmar is trading with other external markets such as Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Bangladesh. But, Myanmar’s live cattle export is highly relying on the China market because of a reasonable price.

The Ministry of Commerce grants permission to each company for 100 cattle exports, and the permit is valid for three months. The companies can have legal action taken if they do not sell the cattle for three months.

Live cattle export was allowed in late 2017 to eradicate illegal exports, creating more opportunities for breeders and promoting their interests.
According to the 2018-2019 financial year trade figures of the Commerce Ministry, Myanmar’s exports of livestock and animal products hit over US$360 million. Myanmar cattle tradition has significantly dropped by over $100 million in 2019-2020FY.

According to the 2018 cattle census, there are 11.5 million herds of cattle in the country including 18 buffalos, and 87 cows and bulls. About 400,000 herds of cattle are needed for domestic consumption while the remaining cattle are targeted to export. — NN/GNLM

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