Myanmar aims to ship 600,000 tonnes of green gram in FY 2023-2024

Myanmar expects to export 600,000 tonnes of green grams to external markets in the financial year 2023-2024, with 150,000 tonnes in each batch, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
The green gram is exported to China, India, the Netherlands, Ireland, England and Germany by sea and border post. More than 570,000 tonnes of green grams have been delivered to foreign trade partners as of 3 March in the current FY 2022-2023 beginning 1 April, with an estimated value of US$408.776 million.
The prevailing prices stand at K1,742,000 per tonne for green gram from the central Myanmar regions and K2,069,000 per tonne for green gram (Shwewah variety) in the Mandalay market.
The newly harvested green gram started to flow into the market at the end of 2022. The prices vary depending on the qualities, the Mandalay commodity depot stated.
Myanmar’s green gram is primarily sent to India, China and European countries. Myanmar has grasped a strong market share in the vast global markets. Additionally, Myanmar has been preparing to export green gram to European Union countries in 2023, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation and the Ministry of Commerce agreed to export the green grams for sprouts in 2015.
The steering committee has been holding a series of meetings to call for bids, conduct awareness courses for the farmers and inspect farm-level processing regarding exports of the green grams for bean sprouts.
The Agriculture Department takes in-charge of farmer and collector inspection and testing, while the Consumers Affairs Department carries out processor inspection and training. Myanmar Inspection and Testing Service (MITS), the authorized organization of the State, was asked to monitor processor level to meet the criteria, food safety and quality standard set by the EU. Those inspectors from MITS are trained by the experts of the Plant Protection Division, the Agriculture Department and the German Development Agency GIZ.
MITS conducted inspections annually, with nine in 2018, 10 in 2019, six each in 2020 and 2021 and five in 2022 respectively.
For Myanmar’s bean and pulse exports to the EU, handling and hygiene practices are crucial for bean export to the EU. The inspection undergoes the following stages; purchasing green grams, warehousing, processing and refining green grams, cargo handling for exports, quality control and health and hygiene of the workers.
The MITS undertakes an inspection once at a factory that meets the criteria and standards. If the MITS finds the requirements during inspection, they set a timeframe for the factory manager to fix them. Then, they went on a second inspection tour. They present certificates for those factories that pass the test.
The MITS is ready to implement a processor-level test for those export companies to the EU in 2023. — NN/EM