Hsu/Saint San Yay (NP News) - November 4
Surplus domestic production has led Myanmar to target China for avocado exports, according to U Kyaw Thu, Chairman of the Myanmar Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Producer and Exporter Association, speaking to The Statesman.
“About 20,000 tonnes of avocados are produced. Domestic consumption is only around 700 to 800 tonnes. We are working to export the surplus avocados to China,” he said.
Exporting agricultural goods to China requires prior approval from the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC).
He said, “When it comes to exporting to China, it’s called GACC—the General Administration of Customs of China. Under that authority, any fruit or crop must obtain approval before it can be exported. It has to be done government-to-government. It’s an export authorization for crops. There are procedural stages involved. Once that process is completed and approved, then preparations are made to sign a contract for the trade.”
According to U Kyaw Thu, China submitted an initial draft of the avocado export agreement. After Myanmar sought clarification on several vague clauses, the proposal has progressed to its second draft.
He said, “It has now reached the MOU draft stage. They have already sent the first draft. The association and the ministry reviewed the points and asked follow-up questions. The second draft has now come back. Once all of those matters are agreed upon, the G2G agreement will be signed before long.”
He added that avocado exports will be ready to begin once both governments sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which is currently being negotiated.
“They agreed to all of these regarding avocados. So, they moved on to the stage of signing an MOU. Now, only the MOU matter remains. Avocado export is closer to finalization”, he said.
In addition, the Chinese side came to Myanmar to conduct pest and disease inspections.
“The Chinese side has already visited Myanmar to carry out inspections related to pest and disease control. They have inspected the factories, the plantations, and laboratories. The draft agreement has already been signed. We expect to receive official approval from China soon,” said U Khun Tun Tun Win, Chairman of the Myanmar Avocado Producers and Traders Association.
Thailand was formerly the main export market for Myanmar’s avocados. However, after Thailand halted imports from Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam early this year, representatives from both sides met to discuss the issue.
“Previously, Thailand was the main destination for Myanmar’s avocados, and we did not export them to China. However, starting this year, Thailand temporarily suspended imports from three countries—Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. Once the relevant procedures have been completed through negotiations between the governments of the two countries, exports will be allowed to resume,” he said. –
