The China Certification and Inspection Group (CCIG) will open a branch in Yangon next month, according to the Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF).
It aimed to carry out quality inspection of rice due to be exported to China, the MRF said.
Lu Maw Myint Maung, joint secretary of the MRF, said: “Officials from the CCIG held discussions this month to increase rice exports. They feel the Myanmar rice market has potential to develop. The CCIG is looking for an office and plans to open next month. I heard the Myanmar Agribusiness Public Corporation has arranged an office for the CCIG and it is looking for warehouses in Hlaingtharya and rice mills near industrial zones.”
The country could export more than 1.3 million tonnes of rice this fiscal year, down more than four million tonnes compared with the last year, said Ye Min Aung, general secretary of the MRF.
The decline in rice exports was due to the devastating floods during last year’s monsoon, he added.
Around 90 per cent of Myanmar’s exported rice passes through its land borders with 10 per cent leaving by sea. Muse is the main centre for rice exports to China.
“Muse camp received about 5,000 tonnes of rice in previous years. But now we cannot export more than 1,000 tonnes. CCIG is an independent, third-party certification and inspection organisation dedicated to providing inspection, verification, certification and testing services,” he said.
Source: Eleven Media