Myanmar And Sri Lanka Discuss Rice Deal

Myanmar is negotiating with Sri Lanka to export rice under a government-to-government agreement, according to the Ministry of Commerce in Myanmar.

“We are in discussion with China as well as Sri Lanka to export rice,” said an official from the ministry.

Myanmar has exported rice to 65 countries this year, amounting to 1.3 million tonnes of rice. This is more than 800,000 tonnes of rice than the same period in last year, said director-general Yan Naing Tun from the Directorate of Trade under the ministry.

“We exported rice to more countries than last year. Rice exports by sea have increased to 45 per cent, while last year they accounted for about 30 per cent of our total rice exports. The rest is exported through border trade,” he said.

Myanmar expects to export two million tonnes of rice in the 2017-18 fiscal year, and the Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF) is working to help the local rice market run smoothly and to find international buyers as well as arranging government-to-government deals.

Myanmar signed an agreement to sell 300,000 tonnes of rice to Bangladesh on September 7. It was the first agreement between Myanmar and Bangladesh for more than two decades. Myanmar agreed to export 250,000 tonnes of white rice and 50,000 tonnes of parboiled rice annually for a five-year period starting from 2017. (Courtesy blackseagrain.net)