Seafood Processing Products: Fisheries sector generates annual revenue of K6 bln

There are about 480,000 acres of prawn and fish farming across Myanmar and over 120 cold storage factories are being operated.

Most of the seafood factories are located in Yangon Region and there are 74 factories. 24 factories are in Taninthayi Region, 9 factories in Ayeyawady region, 6 in Mon state, 10 in Rakhine State and 1 in Shan State.

Dr Zin Myo Thwe, Research and Development Division, Department of Fisheries said “There are 74 fishery product factories Yangon region and seafood processing factories also include. The prawns and shrimps are processing now as value-added products and ready to eat food.”

The fishery products are being exported to more than 40 countries including the middle-east, Asia and EU countries.

Maung Ko Ko, General Manager, Shwe Yamone Manufacturing Co., Ltd. said “Our factory mainly produces seafood processing products and we mainly export to Japan. We are trying to create job opportunities for local employees while upgrading our factory year after year to sell the products in the international market.”

Khin Thuzar Tun, General Manager, C.K Frozen Foods Yangon Co., Ltd. said “We make processing the fishery products produced from Taninthayi and Ayeyawady Region. The production rate of our factory has a little bit declined during COVID-19 but the production processes are not suspended. We export 70 percent of fishery products and 30 percent of shrimp products to abroad.”

Under the quality control of the Research and Development Division of the Fishery Department, the inspection teams always examine the seafood products to be exported to foreign markets in line with the international norms.

Dr Zin Myo Thwe, Research and Development Division, Department of Fisheries said “We mainly conduct food safety and we have to analyze infectious and phytogenic bacteria before exporting. We have to examine not to include contamination in fish, prawns and crabs. Depending on the reports, we grant permission the products to export.”

According to the statistics of 2019-2020 fiscal year, fishery sector is 4.7 percent of the country’s GDP. In 2020-2021 fiscal year, Myanmar fetched revenue of 6 billion kyats generated by the fisheries export and the aquaculture export topped 786 million USD.