Being rich in aquatic and terrestrial resources, Myanmar earns a great deal of foreign exchange by exporting marine products.
The nation is blessed with a long coast and a large number of rivers, creeks and natural lakes where it can operate fishery industry on a commercial scale.
Fish, prawn and crab are abundant and pearl breeding industry is making progress in the Myanmar’s waters.
The People’s Republic of China is the largest market for Myamar’s fish, prawn, crab and eel. Among the marine products exported to China, eel is in high demand.
Eel is exported under the leadership of the Eel Entrepreneurs’ Association. In an interview, Secretary Daw Mya Thazin of the Fisheries Association said that the association was accommodating 10 eel exporters on the campus of the Institute of Fisheries in West Gyogone, Insein Township. The association exported eel to China through Muse 105th Mile border trade zone, she said.
She said that eel was produced on a large scale in Ayeyawady, Bago, Mandalay and Magway divisions and Mon State, and it was caught natural lakes, creeks and canals.
Regarding the export of eel, she said that the association had set up its agents in states and divisions where eel is produced on a commercial scale. The association got the marine product through its purchase centres. Then, it transported the product to Muse 105th Mile and sold it to China through auction. Many purchase centres in China purchased eel from the association, she said.
She said that the purchase centres of the association washed the eels and kept them in water-proof boxes with plastic sheets inside it. Each box could hold 50 viss of eels. Every day, on average, one to three 110- box-capacity trucks left Yangon in the afternoon and arrived in Mandalay the next morning. There, the eel boxes were transferred onto the trucks from Muse. Then, the trucks left Mandalay and arrived in Muse 105th Mile the following day, she said.
Eel is caught most from September to December. The creature hibernates from February to March and gives birth in the rainy season. Eels with minimum girth of seven millimeters are allowed to be exported. In order to avert extinction of eel species, small eels are removed with the use of sieves and are released to natural lakes, creeks and canals.
Purchase centres buy eels at the price of 3700 kyats a viss. Now, eel exporting business is booming, so, eel fishers are earning a lot of incomes.
The Eel Entrepreneur Association is helping the nation earn foreign exchange by boosting the export of eels. From April to December 2007, it exported over 6,725 tons of eels.
The association is working hard to earn more foreign exchange this financial year by exporting eels.