A man checks the quality of fish at a wholesale market in Yangon. The main buyers of Myanmar’s seafood are China, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, with other smaller buyers in Europe and the Middle East.

EXPORTS from Myanmar’s fisheries sector have tripled in the last decade, according to information released by the Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries in December.

According to a report released last year by the Department of Fisheries, seafood exports totalled US$360 million in the 2005-2006 fiscal year, up from $113 million in 1995-1996.

And the good news is likely to continue because Myanmar is well on the way to realising the 2006-2007 target - with exports from April to September valued at $216 million.

Tonnage for seafood exports also rose markedly over the past decade, increasing from 54,000 tonnes in 1995-1996 to 270,000 tonnes last year.

A huge increase in the acreage of fish and shrimp farms during the past decade was also noted. Fish farms covered more than 200,000 acres in 2005-2006, up from less than 50,000 acres in 1995-1996. For shrimp farms the figures were nearly identical, increasing from 46,000 to 207,000 acres.

Overall production of seafood more than doubled in the decade, from about 400,000 tonnes to nearly 900,000 tonnes.

U Tin Hla, deputy director of the Department of Fisheries, said the increase had made a significant contribution towards realising the ministry’s 30-year project - which began in 1992-1993 - to develop the fishery sector by 2020.
In a speech last December by Brigadier-General Maung Maung Thein, minister for the Department of Fisheries, he said seafood processors should endeavour to raise their standards to attain higher sales volumes on regional markets.

During the speech, Brig-Gen Maung Maung Thein said the main buyers of Myanmar’s seafood are China, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, with other smaller buyers in Europe and the Middle East. In total, Myanmar exports to 40 nations.
He said one of the reasons behind Myanmar’s fisheries exports has been the Myanmar Fishery Federation, which has played a vital role in advancing the industry as a whole and increased the nation’s share in overseas markets.

Brig-Gen Maung Maung Thein encouraged entrepreneurs to further cooperate with the government to expand the industry and further boost exports in the future, especially by developing more fish farms.