Myanmar’s exports of cattle, animal products down by USD $ 254.3 million in the first ninth months of current fiscal year

Myanmar’s exports of animal products between 1 October and 17 July in the current fiscal year 2019-2020 touched a low of US$64.7 million, a sharp drop of $254.3 million compared with the corresponding period of the 2018-2019FY when livestock trading was suspended by China.
In the previous fiscal, animal products exports were registered at $319 million.
Animal products exports are solely driven by the private sector this year.
At present, live cattle exports to China has been on the decline due to the suspension of a trade by China since the pre-Chinese New Year period, said cattle exporters.
Normally, a large cow is valued at over K1.6-2.3 million, but last year, the suspension of trade led to Chinese traders resorting to price manipulation and offering a lower price of below K1 million.
Myanmar has held a series of negotiations with China at the Joint Border Trade Cooperation and Coordinating Committee (JBTCC) meetings on legal exports of cattle along with cross-border control of communicable diseases.
While cattle exports are legal in Myanmar, livestock trading is still not permitted by China, according to the Myanmar Livestock Federation.
Myanmar, which allowed livestock trading in late 2017, is now exploring new export markets for cattle.
At present, to prevent animal disease, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation issued a notification on 11 March 2020 that the cattle are subject to special goods and procedures for movement of the cattle in the regions and states were mentioned, posing difficulties to those livestock farmers working on a manageable scale.
To transport the cattle within the country, the health certificate (AHD/PC-3) issued by the head of the related Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department in the townships, districts and regions or states are required.
If the traders fail to comply with the notification, they will face legal action under the Special Goods Tax Law.
At present, the COVID-19 consequences pose transportation difficulties and it is hard to seek for approval from the related Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department.
As a result of this, the drastic plunge of live cattle export forced the breeders to turn to meat market as they are facing financial hardships during the coronavirus pandemic. The meat price is also dropping, said a trader.
The country exports cattle that are above five years old, along with vaccination certificates, health certificates, and farming registration certificates. According to the 2018 cattle census, there are 11.5 million heads of cattle in the country.
Myanmar has exported over 460,000 heads of cattle, with an estimated value of over $581 million, to China through Muse border, between the 2017-2018FY and the month of October in the current FY, according to trade figures.
The authorities have issued cattle export licences to more than 300 companies in the Magway region. There are around 5,000 companies holding cattle export licences across the country. — Ko Khant (Translated by Ei Myat Mon)

(The Global New Light of Myanmar: https://www.globalnewlightofmyanmar.com/exports-of-cattle-animal-products-down-by-254-3-mln-in-current-fy/ )

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