Legitimate export of sugar to China yet to happen

 

December 27

 

It seems unlikely to export Myanmar’s sugar to China through a legitimate channel, said U Win Htay, vice chair of Myanmar Sugar and Sugarcane Related Products Association.

 

Myanmar officials and Chinese counterparts are negotiating for Myanmar’s sugar to have a quota for a legitimate export.

 

Last September, a company located in Hebei province proposed to purchase Myanmar’s sugar through an embassy.

 

That company wanted to buy about 30,000 to 50,000 tonnes of refined sugar, sugar syrup, and white and brown sugar from Myanmar annually, with an estimated volume of 3,000 tonnes per month.

 

“We are not ready to accept the proposal,” U Win Htay continued.

 

“We cannot export the sugar yet. We need to seek a certificate from the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) to legally export Myanmar’s sugar to China. That being so, the legal export is yet to happen,” U Win Htay elaborated.

 

Earlier, Myanmar exported surplus sugar to China via border routes. The export was conducted under the border state-level Memorandum of Understanding. However, sugar export to China came to a halt suddenly due to the COVID-19 policy of China. At present, it is delivered to Viet Nam only by sea, as per the association.

 

Sugarcane started to be harvested for the 2022-2023 season and some local companies offered the sugarcane price at K90,000 per tonne.

 

There are around 450,000 acres of sugarcane in Myanmar this year, with an estimated production of 450,000 tonnes of sugar per year, the association stated.

 

Sugarcane is commonly found in the upper Sagaing Region, followed by the northern Shan State. It is also found in the western and eastern Bago Region, Yangon Region and Mandalay Region.

 

The sugarcane is grown in December-January. It can be harvested from November to February of the following years. The sugarcane growing rotation cycle lasts four years in Myanmar. — NN/EMM