Feed mills sourcing maize amid shortage

Livestock feed mills are purchasing maize amid low supply in the domestic market.
Exporting companies sourced the maize in June and July. Then, they were exported to foreign markets through Yangon and Mandalay ports. At present, they have completed the purchase order according to the contracts.
High demand for mills amid low supply in the market led to price rises. Myanmar’s maize is primarily sent to Thailand and delivered to China, India, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
Thailand gives the green light for maize imports under zero tariff (with Form-D) between 1 February and 31 August. However, Thailand imposes a maximum tax rate of 73 per cent on maize imports to protect the rights of their growers if the maize is imported during the maize season of Thailand. Therefore, only a few days are left to export Myanmar’s maize to Thailand with duty-free privilege.
Additionally, China has been purchasing Myanmar’s maize through cross-border trade under the alternative development programme. Legitimate maize trade between Myanmar and China commenced at the end of 2022. A total of 112 Myanmar companies have been permitted to export maize.
Myanmar exported more than one million tonnes of maize in the first quarter of the current financial year (2024-2025), with 390,000 tonnes in April, 370,000 tonnes in May and 390,000 tonnes in June, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
Myanmar conveyed over 2 million tonnes of maize to foreign trade partners in the 2022 corn season, and the majority of them went to Thailand, according to the Myanmar Corn Industrial Association.
The corn is cultivated in Shan, Kachin, Kayah, and Kayin states as well as Mandalay, Sagaing, and Magway regions. Myanmar has three corn seasons: winter, summer, and monsoon season. Myanmar’s annual corn output is estimated at 2.5-3 million tonnes. — NN/KK