Pigeon pea price remains on upward trend

The pigeon pea (red gram) price continues rising from early April 2021 and it surged to above over K1,320,000 per metric ton in the last week of August.
The pigeon pea price was on the rise in March-end 2021 amid the low yield and the Kyat weakening in the local forex market. The pigeon pea market is bullish along with the Kyat depreciation, according to the domestic market.
The gram fetched up only K837,500 per tonne in early February. The price in April-end showed a remarkable increase of K 1,000,000 per tonne as against February’s rate. On 26 August, it touched a high of K1,322,500 per tonne. The majority of the traders accept only immediate cash payment, a trader from Mandalay market stated.
Myanmar’s pigeon pea is primarily shipped to India and also exported to Singapore, the US, Canada, Pakistan, the UK, and Malaysia. But, the export volume to other countries rather than to India is extremely small.
More than 1.8 million tonnes of various pulses and beans were exported to foreign markets between 1 October and 13 August of the current financial year 2020-2021, with an estimated value of US$1.4 billion. Of them, the pigeon pea export accounted for 183,507 tonnes, generating an income of $122.38 million, the Commerce Ministry’s data indicated.
The domestic bean market is positively related to the law of supply and demand, said an official of Myanmar Pulses, Beans and Sesame Seeds Merchants Association.
India set an import quota on beans, including black gram and pigeon pea, starting from 2017. Myanmar earlier had to export black bean and pigeon pea under the quota system and limit period.
On 15 May 2021, India’s Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare approved not only black gram but also other pulses being imported from Myanmar that have the bill of lading up to October-end 2021, with relaxations of conditions regarding clearance consignment up to 30 November 2021.
According to this statement, the previous notifications dated 19 March 2021 and 26 March 2021 were cancelled.
Additionally, Myanmar can export 250,000 tonnes of black gram (urad) and 100,000 tonnes of pigeon pea under the G-to-G (government to government) pact during the April-March period between the 2021-2022 financial year and the 2025-2026FY, as per the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Commerce and India’s counterpart signed on 18 June.
Myanmar yearly produces about 400,000 tonnes of black gram and 50,000 tonnes of pigeon pea.
Myanmar shipped over 1.6 million tonnes of different varieties of pulses, especially black gram, with an estimated worth of US$1 billion, to other counties in the FY2018-2019. During the last FY2019-2020 ended September 30, the country delivered 1.6 million tonnes to the external market, generating an export value of $1.195 billion. — MM/GNLM