Green gram growers earn handsome profit

The growers of green grams are bringing in a great profit as the prices fetch above K41,000-K45,000 per basket, said a grower from Bago.
The majority of the growers from Bago cultivate green grams after harvesting monsoon rice crops. Mustard, Taiwan water spinach, roselle and spinach are also found in the region.
“Agriculture is our source of income from generations. We primarily farm rice crops. Sequentially, we grow green grams in our villages. The prices of green grams are high despite no foreign demand at present,” said a villager of Kantwin village from Bago Township.
We prefer green gram to other beans as it has lower input cost, he added.
China accounts for 60 per cent of Myanmar’s green gram exports. China prefers green grams (Shwe Wah) variety. At present, the demand slips due to border trade restrictions amid the COVID-19, traders said.
China makes value-added products from green grams and sends them to foreign markets. Moreover, it produces bean by-products as feedstuffs.
Myanmar conveyed more than 94,280 tonnes of green grams to foreign trade partners over half of the current six-month mini-budget period (October 2021-March 2022), according to the Ministry of Commerce’s trade data.
The country generated an income of US$77.66 million from the exports of green grams over the past three months. — Maung Yin Oo/GNLM