September 24, 2020

Myanmar bans chicken imports as demand slumps

Myanmar has suspended chicken imports for a period of one month, starting October 1, on the back of falling domestic demand for poultry, Myanmar Times reported.

"Local demand for poultry has halved because of COVID-19. Although processing cost of a chick is over K500 (~US$0.38; K1 = US$0.00076), the current market price is only around K150 per chick. As such, the federation has asked the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department to suspend imports temporarily," says U Thein Myint, vice-president of Myanmar Livestock Federation.

The federation had proposed an import ban of three months but the government has currently approved a one-month suspension.

U Kyaw Win, chair of the Myanmar Livestock Breeders and Producers Association, says that the government will decide on further suspension on a monthly basis, depending on domestic consumption.

More than 1.9 million chicks were imported from mid-July to mid-August but that figure has slid to about 1 million from mid-August to mid-September as COVID-19 infections continue to grow in Myanmar.

The country's daily chicken consumption is about 500,000 head and due to declining local demand, farmers are losing about K50 million per day.

An earlier report this week of the evolving situation in Myanmar can be read here: https://www.efeedlink.com/contents/09-22-2020/58d1f684-8345-437c-9ec2-176a99d75f6e-a181.html