Myanmar blames India for restricting pulses import quota

Yangon has blamed New Delhi for restricting import of three major pulses from Mayanmar, saying that the move has plunged Burmese pulses industry into chaos, an official report said on Thursday.

In August, India announced a 200,000-ton import quota on pigeon peas and 300,000-ton quota on mung bean and green grams, Xinhua news agency reported.

The severe restriction by India limiting the amount of pea products from Myanmar has quickly and adversely affected the Burmese pulses market, commerce officials said.

The restriction would help support prices of lentils in India but would put pressure on producers in Myanmar who rely heavily on export to India, an official said.

The regular purchase of beans by India has been stopped, said a pulses trading association, calling for negotiation between the two nations' authorities to find a settlement.

Myanmar has been exporting peas to India for nearly three decades, while India exported medicines, sugar and agricultural machinery to Myanmar.

Yangon's commodity depot has ceased operation due to India's import quota restriction on pulses, prompting the pulse prices to plummet.

Myanmar exports around 1.5 million tons of pulses to foreign countries annually, of which India is the largest market.

--IANS

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