The government of India has announced plans to import 400,000 tonnes of black gram beans from Myanmar between May 2020 and March 2021. The price per tonne of black gram is holding at around MMK 1 million per tonne, according to the Myanmar Times. Black gram is a staple crop of India and one of its chief imports from Myanmar. Myanmar Pulses, Beans and Sesame Seeds Merchants Association chair U Tun Lwin told the Times that Myanmar is still finishing an order of 250,000 tonnes made last year.

The boost is a good sign for Myanmar’s bean traders. Despite its reputation for rice, Myanmar grows and exports almost as many beans and pulses. In 2017, India halted its imports of Myanmar green gram (another major export bean) making Europe and China the primary buyer of that crop. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed exports of green gram to Europe. Nevertheless the Myanmar bean market appears to be holding steady, according to the Myanmar Pulses, Beans and Sesame Seeds Merchants Association. “Myanmar is still exporting beans to some European countries. There is no significant impacts on the bean export market,” Association secretary U Min Ko Oo told the Daily Eleven.

Meanwhile, trade of rice, watermelons and other crops is picking up on the Chinese border, according to merchants in Muse. Seafood, however, continues to struggle, with unsold fish rotting in coastal warehouses. The situation highlights Myanmar’s lack of capacity to produce downstream, value-added products such as canned vegetables and fish, which can last much longer in storage.