Myanmar pulses exports earn over US$580 mln in past five months

Myanmar shipped more than 720,000 tonnes of pulses, with an estimated value of over $580 million, to foreign countries over the past five months (Apr-Aug) of the current financial year 2023-2024, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
The pulses exports by seaborne trade bagged $488.39 million (over 607,129.941 tonnes), while over 113,789.11 tonnes of pulses worth $97.986 million were sent to the neighbouring countries through land border between 1 April and 31 August 2023, totalling $586.377 million from exports of over 720,919 tonnes.
Myanmar’s pulses exports crossed over US$1.4 billion from over 1.9 million tonnes in the past FY 2022-2023, the Ministry of Commerce’s statistics indicated.
Myanmar mainly exports black gram, green gram and pigeon peas to foreign markets. Of them, black gram and pigeon peas are mostly sent to India while green grams are conveyed to China and Europe.
India has growing demand and consumption requirements for black gram and pigeon peas. According to a Memorandum of Understanding between Myanmar and India signed on 18 June 2021, India will import 250,000 tonnes of black gram and 100,000 tonnes of pigeon peas (tur) from Myanmar for five consecutive years from 2021-2022 financial year to 2025-2026 FY. This G-to-G pact will not affect the pulses’ annual quota set by India. Myanmar’s exporters are also entitled to deliver the pulses to India under that annual quota.
The prevailing prices are K2.505 million per tonne of black gram (urad) and K4.15 million per tonne of pigeon pea (tur).
Black grams which India primarily purchases are commonly found only in Myanmar, whereas pigeon pea, green gram and chickpeas are grown in African countries and Australia, the Myanmar Pulses, Beans, Maize and Sesame Seeds Merchants Association said. — NN/EM