THE Myanmar Ornamental Fish Entrepreneurs Association will establish a weekly wholesale market for ornamental fish in Yangon starting on March 7, said U Lo Kin Sai, the chairman of the association.

The market will be held every Friday from 8am to 5pm at the Freshwater Fish Garden in Kandawgyi Park, he said.

“We got the idea from Bangkok where a wholesale ornamental fish market is held every Tuesday so interested people, as well as owners of retail shops, can come and buy fish,” he said.

U Lo Kin Sai said the fish will be sold in plastic bags filled with water.
“If the fish are small we can put 50 to 100 in a plastic bag. For bigger fish we can put five to 10 but the total value of the fish in a single bag shouldn’t be more than K20,000,” he said.

He said the association will provide strict oversight at the market to ensure that wholesalers do not cheat customers.

“We will prevent practices like vendors putting fewer fish in a bag than customers have paid for,” he said.

The association hopes to eventually attract foreign buyers to the market, U Lo Kin Sai said, adding that no permanent structures or vending booths will be built for the market.

“The only sellers will be members of the association but anyone from the general public is welcome to come and buy fish,” he said.

Taxes collected from sales will go into the association’s treasury, he said.