07 Oct 19 - Source: Global New Light Of Myanmar - Fish and prawns from Kyaukphyu, which have registered a low demand in Bangladesh, are being sent only to the Yangon market, according to Kyaukpyu fish and prawn commodity depots.
In 2017, most of the fish, prawns, and crabs produced in Kyaukpyu were sent to the Sittway market and Bangladesh, said a fish and prawn seller.
"At the end of 2018, we could not send the fisheries products to the Sittway market and Bangladesh because there were armed conflicts in the border area. So, the road was not safe for transporting our products. Currently, we are sending the fisheries products only to the Yangon market," according to a local fishery dealer from a purchase depot.
The value of border trade between Myanmar and Bangladesh as on 20 September stood at US$22.39 million, a decrease of $65.216 million compared with the same period in the previous fiscal, according to statistics provided by the Ministry of Commerce.
Border trade between the two countries is conducted through the Sittway and Maungtaw cross-border camps. From 1 October to 20 September, trade through the Maungtaw gate reached $8.8 million, while trade at the Sittway border checkpoint was valued at $13.6 million.
Myanmar exports fisheries products, including dried fish, to South Asian nations, and imports kitchen ware and clothing items from them.
Items traded at the Myanmar-Bangladesh border include bamboo, ginger, peanuts, saltwater prawns and fish, dried plums, garlic, rice, mung beans, blankets, candy, plum jams, footwear, frozen foods, chemicals, leather, jute products, tobacco, plastics, wood, knitwear, beverages, and human hair.
The total border trade of Myanmar with four neighboring countries reached $9.9 billion in the 2018-2019 fiscal.—Aye Cho (Translated by Hay Mar)
