Myanmar’s Rice Exports Unruffled By Typhoon Yagi, Stockpile At Four Million Tonnes

PHNOM PENH, Sept 27 (Bernama) -- Myanmar’s rice exports will not be affected this year, despite the lashing of Typhoon Yagi that destroyed 5,000 acres of rice planting areas in the country —  a key rice exporter in the region.

State-owned media, The Global New Light of Myanmar, said on Friday that the country still has a stockpile of four million tonnes of rice, despite the typhoon damaging rice fields, mills and storage facilities.

“The paddy fields were damaged. The flood-inflicted acres reached 5,000. However, it will not have a significant impact on Myanmar’s rice production, inventory, and exports.

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“There is self-sufficiency of rice with an inventory of four million tonnes remaining. Myanmar’s rice supply chain has to deal with only less damage. Floods battered 3,000 acres in Nay Pyi Taw and some crop acres in eastern Bago Region, Shan State and Kayah State,” said Myanmar Rice Federation President U Ye Min Aung, reported the media.

According to rice industry experts, Typhoon Yagi inundated about 190,000 hectares in Vietnam and 200,000 hectares in Myanmar since early September. Laos lost an estimated 29,659 hectares of farmland, and 125 irrigation ponds were damaged in the torrential rains and power winds.

Vietnam exports about eight million metric tonnes of rice to the global market, making it one of the top exporters in the region, while Myanmar produces about two million metric tonnes.

Its rice and broken rice exports are mainly shipped to China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

Laos, Myanmar, and Northern Vietnam suffered the most during the typhoon, where a total of over 500 people lost their lives and many important infrastructures like power and telecommunication facilities were destroyed by strong winds.

In Myanmar there are about 15 million acres of monsoon paddy, with an estimated paddy production of 1.9 billion baskets per year, according to the rice federation.

With the technical support from  the government, some growers have returned to replanting crops, including paddy, in flooded areas.

-- BERNAMA