The Mandalay market is bustling with pulses trade and the prices of the main export pulses are on the rise, according to the Mandalay wholesale centre.
The newly harvested pulses near Mandalay city are entering the Mandalay wholesale centre in the third week of February. The traders are doing a roaring trade on the back of strong demand from India and China.
At present, the prices stood at K2,107,500 per tonne for pigeon peas, K1,866,000 for black grams and K1.8 million for green grams.
Myanmar bagged over US$1.1 billion from more than 1.4 million tonnes of pulses exports over the past ten months in the current financial year 2022-2023 (April-March). The pulses export volumes were 182,697.772 kilogrammes of pigeon pea ($142.435 million), 588,382.866 kilos of black gram ($484.05 million) and 487,568.261 kilos of green gram ($353.155 million).
Myanmar primarily exports black gram, green gram and pigeon peas. Of them, black gram and pigeon peas are mainly sent to India while green grams are shipped to China and Europe.
India has growing demand and consumption requirements for black grams 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.
Myanmar yearly produces approximately 400,000 tonnes of black gram and about 50,000 tonnes of pigeon peas. Myanmar is the top producer of the black gram that is primarily demanded by India, while pigeon peas, green grams and chickpeas are cultivated in Australia and African countries besides Myanmar. — NN/EM
