Trade suffers as Chinese buyers shun garlic, onions
Play
Trucks from Myanmar with full loads of onions and garlic for export to China have been backed up in Muse, a border town, since Monday, when Chinese buyers suddenly stopped buying the goods, according to official sources.
“About 100 trucks are backed up there waiting for Chinese buyers” said Khin Han, the vice chairman of the Myanmar Onion, Garlic and Culinary Crops Production and Exporting Association.
It’s not still clear why they suddenly stopped buying the produce, he added.
The Ministry of Commerce officially allows exports of onions and garlic to foreign countries and there are no bans on such exports in place at the moment, he said.
Myanmar also exports the culinary crops to Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as China.
“We haven’t stopped exporting them. But the export trucks are piled up in Muse as Chinese buyers suddenly stopped buying,” Khin Han said.
An average of 20 trucks arrive in the town every day carrying their loads of onions and garlic produced all across the country through Mandalay, the second-largest city and the economic hub of upper Myanmar.
The Chinese buyers’ move has brought the local trade in the crops to a total standstill. “After last Sunday, Chinese buyers abruptly stopped buying. Mandalay buyers also stopped buying the crops as a result. In Yangon, the price could go down if stocks pile up in local markets,” said Tin Aung Min, a local trader.
