India to import 400,000 tonnes of mung bean from Myanmar in 2020-21FY

March 21, 2020

By Nyein Nyein

India government has granted permission to import 400,000 tonnes of mung bean from Myanmar in the next fiscal of 2020-2021, said Secretary U Min Ko Oo of Myanmar Pulses, Beans and Sesame Seeds Merchants Association.

In response to the request made by President U Win Myint to purchase 400,000 tonnes of beans from Myanmar during his visit to India at the end of February, the Indian government allowed their beans traders to import more tonnes of mung beans. In addition, mung bean is a staple food item of India, he remarked.

“We can see obviously that India is in great demand for mung beans to fulfill the needs of their country’s consumption. In 2019-2020 FY, India announced that they would need an import quota of 150,000 tonnes of mung beans. At the end of December 2019, India wanted Myanmar to export 250,000 tonnes by 31 March. When we couldn’t export that amount within the deadline, they extended it until the end of April. Again, the President had also requested the Indian government to purchase 400,000 tonnes more. India usually buys mung beans, pigeon peas, green grams, and yellow peas on a quota basis. But this time, India announced the permission to import 400,000 tonnes of mung beans only,” said U Min Ko Oo.

With permission to import 400,000 tonnes of mung beans in the next fiscal, it is likely that there will emerge a good beans market for the local farmers in the next beans season, according to the beans traders.

“We have a small beans market in Myanmar. This is good for beans growers as India has offered the guarantee to purchase the beans from 2020-21 beans season,” said U Min Ko Oo.

After the announcements, the mung bean price goes up for a reasonable percentage in the market. Now, the price of the mung bean is K950,000 per tonne.

Myanmar embassy in New Delhi, India announced that India granted to import 400,000 tonnes of mung beans from Myanmar in 2020-2021FY, which have been restricted as import commodity since 2017 by the Indian central government according to 2015-2020 foreign trade policy.

On 17 March, the India Ministry of Commerce and Industry announced that this restriction is not really concerned with the bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Additionally, India has permitted to import 250,000 tonnes of mung beans from Myanmar, extended its deadline to the end of April for 2019-2020 FY, under the permission of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on 3 March.

On 19 March, the directorate also announced that the import of 400,000 tonnes of mung beans, allowed for the 2020-2021FY, will be undertaken from 1 May 2020 to 31 March 2021. The local bean mills and bean cleansing businessmen are required to apply for the quota through the directorate Website from 20 to 31 March. The beans exporting companies have to export the beans to India not later than 31 March 2021 as there will no longer be an extension of the import of the mung beans. (Translated by Hay Mar)