ALTHOUGH the freshwater fish is processed daily at Shwe Padauk Fish Market this month in Hline Township, Yangon, which mainly distributes aquatic products nationwide, the supply in the market is high while demand remains low, according to the Shwe Padauk Fish Market Development Committee.
The freshwater and saltwater products from the Shwe Padauk Fish Market in Hline Township and the Kyimyindine Sanpya Fish Market are transported to the upper and lower parts of the country and the border areas with a good transport system. Currently, due to rising fuel prices, transportation challenges, increased fish feed costs, and the harvesting of fish ponds before the summer, there are difficulties in transporting and distributing freshwater products from Ayeyarwady, Yangon and Bago regions.
As freshwater products continue to arrive daily, wholesale dealers at the Shwe Padauk Fish Market distribute them to cold storage factories for export, to markets across the country, and to township markets in Yangon. However, at present, export orders have been suspended, shipments of freshwater products nationwide have decreased, and consumption in township markets has declined. As a result, the market is facing an imbalance between supply and demand.
“During this month, fish arrivals at the market have increased. More than a hundred trucks enter the market every day. Although supply is high, transactions are slow. The reason is that there are no export orders this month. Even though fish are distributed domestically, supply is higher than demand, making it difficult to stabilize the market. The amount being sold exceeds domestic consumption. Supply and demand are not balanced. Fish arrivals are higher this year because feed prices have risen, and raw materials such as bran and peanut cake have become scarce, even for those who have money. Therefore, farmers are harvesting their ponds and selling fish at the available market price rather than continuing to raise them. Moreover, to prevent fish deaths due to the heat in April, many farmers are harvesting and selling their fish this month, which is why fish are continuously entering the market. Since the market has become narrower, sellers are pushing sales. Because fish keep arriving, fish inflows will likely decrease later,” stated Committee Vice-Chair U Aye Ko.
The Shwe Padauk Fish Market receives over 300,000 viss of freshwater products and about 30 types of freshwater products. The fish arriving at the market are being distributed in the domestic market at whatever prices are available. However, due to reduced breeding of export-sized fish, suspension of fish farming caused by high feed costs, smaller fish entering the market before reaching proper size, and declining fish prices due to high feed costs, fish farmers estimate that freshwater product inflows may decline by the end of this year and early next year. — Thitsa (MNA)/ KTZH
