The black gram price was moving upwards, reaching a record high of around K2.7 million per tonne.
The price fluctuated in early October 2023. The price was registered only at K2.465 million per tonne on 3 October and peaked at K2.69 million per tonne on 18 October, showing a sharp rise of K226,000 per tonne within 15 days.
Nonetheless, the pigeon pea price remained stable on the high side at K4.075 million per tonne.
India’s strong demand pushed up Myanmar’s black gram and pigeon pea prices.
Myanmar’s various pulses export earnings were estimated at over US$715 million from over 860,000 tonnes in the H1 of the current financial year 2023-2024 beginning 1 April.
Myanmar’s pulses exports earned over $1.47 billion from over 1.9 million tonnes in the previous FY 2022-2023, the Ministry of Commerce’s statistics indicated.
Myanmar primarily exports black gram, green gram and pigeon peas to foreign markets. Of them, black gram and pigeon peas are mostly shipped to India while green grams are exported to China and Europe.
Black grams which India primarily purchases are commonly found only in Myanmar, whereas pigeon peas, green grams and chickpeas are grown in African countries and Australia, according to the Myanmar Pulses, Beans, Maize and Sesame Seeds Merchants Association. — NN/EM
