Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation is striving to upgrade the laboratories and obtaining ISO certificates with the aim to improve the quality of fishery products

Doctor Khin Zaw, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, says that the government is trying to improve the quality of fishery products by building diagnostic laboratories and obtaining ISO certificates.

At a meeting with the Myanmar Fishery Federation, he stated: “Business owners in the industry need to comply with the health standards. We need active participation from the private sector. For our part, we are trying to upgrade the laboratories for better and more accurate diagnosis.”

He urged private business owners to report any outbreaks as soon as they are discovered so that they do not become catastrophes. He also warned that neglecting an outbreak, assuming that it is not serious, could actually cause serious damage to the entire industry.

“Myanmar is now seeing new diseases that come from other countries, such as African swine flu,” said Dr. Ye Win Tun, Director General of the Department of Livestock and Veterinary. “We need public and private collaboration and preparation so that we can respond swiftly if there is an outbreak of disease.”

He added that the worst-case scenario is an outbreak of drug-resistant disease, and he said that the Department of Livestock and Veterinary is organizing an awareness campaign for that situation.

Improving the quality of fishery products will certainly make them more attractive as exports to buyers outside the country. There is certainly much potential in this market moving forward. Myanmar earned nearly $700 million from fishery exports in FY 2017-2018, $300 million during the shortened FY 2018, and $281 million from the start of FY 2018-2019 through April.

(Myanmar Business Today: https://www.mmbiztoday.com/articles/government-moves-improve-fishery-health-standards )

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