EU experts to help improve Myanmar marine products export quality

YANGON, Jan. 29 (Chinese media) -- Experts of the European Union (EU) will examine Myanmar's marine products to help improve quality of export products for the European market, the local Yangon Times quoted the Myanmar Fisheries Products Producers and Exporters Association as reporting Thursday.

Invited and proposed by the association, the EU experts will visit Myanmar early next month to inspect the export quality of fishery products from 22 fisheries-related cold storages.

Myanmar's marine product exports amounted to 353 million U.S. dollars in the first three quarters (April-December) of the fiscal year 2008-09 ending March, a drop of 30 million dollars from 2007-08's 387 million dollars correspondingly, according to earlier local report.

The report attributed the fall to the impact of the global financial crisis.

Myanmar's fisheries Department revealed that purchase order from abroad was down by 50 percent compared with normalcy, while domestic purchase power fell by 40 percent.

Along with the reduction of foreign market demand, price of fish also dropped in the domestic market, the report added.

Of Myanmar's marine exports through both normal trade and border trade, fish, prawn and crab are leading.

In 2007-08, Myanmar exported 352,652 tons of marine products, gaining 561 million U.S. dollars, according to official statistics.

In Myanmar's marine export country line-up, China stood atop, followed by Thailand, Japan and Singapore.

The country's fishery sector remained as the fourth largest contributor to the gross domestic product and also the fourth largest source of foreign exchange earning during the past five years.