The Myanmar Aqua Feed Association has announced that Green Feed Viet Nam Corporation will team up with the Fisheries and Feed Development Public Company to build an animal feed processing plant in Yangon.
“We are striving to work together with a Vietnamese company to ensure an adequate supply of animal feed within the country. The Vietnamese company and a domestic private company have finished studying animal feed processing plants and the state-owned plants that were shut down by the government,” said Dr Thet Hmu, chair of the Myanmar Aqua Feed Association.
Myanmar currently boasts six state-owned feed processing plants and over 10 private enterprises, but a scarcity of raw food materials and financial investment has led to the closing of all the state-owned plants and half of private ones.
Dr Thet Hmu added that three potential locations in Yangon Region—Ywathar Gyi, Myaung Daga and the Thilawa SEZ—are being considered locations for the plant, but a final decision has yet to be made.
The current appreciation in the value of livestock feed has forced some fish breeders in the Ayeyawady Region to build chicken farms on stilts over their fish ponds to supplement their livelihoods as they are unable to afford fish feed anymore.
More animal feed processing plants will be built in other parts of the country, with plans in place for the construction of chicken, swine and fish feed processing plant in Mandalay in 2018, also in partnership with the Vietnamese company.
“The business entrepreneurs who actually follow through with their proposals should be given permission [to build animal feed processing plants]. Regardless of whether they are Myanmar entrepreneurs or locals collaborating with foreign companies, they should be allowed to conduct [their business]. Myanmar will become more technologically aware if [the government] allows business ventures with foreign companies,” said U Than Lwin, chair of the Myanmar Fishery Entrepreneurs Association.
Because of shortages of domestic raw feed, 10,000 tonnes of fish feed were imported into Myanmar during the 2014-15 fiscal year from foreign countries, with as many as 30,000 tonnes imported into the country during the current fiscal year.—
Source: Myitmakha News Agency
