According to traders in Mandalay, the market has been flooded with a new harvest of pigeon peas from various regions and states during this year’s bean season. These peas have received a good price due to their high quality and yield, which can be attributed to favourable weather conditions.
Compared to the same period last year, the price of pigeon peas has significantly increased. For instance, three baskets of pigeon peas fetched K135,000 last year, while three baskets can now be sold for K210,000, according to U Soe Win Myint of the Soe Win Myint Depot in Mandalay.
Pigeon peas are not a popular food item among Myanmar people, and their taste and lack of pesticides make them particularly attractive to Indian consumers. Myanmar exports nearly all of the pigeon peas it produces each year, with India being the main buyer.
Additionally, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan also regularly purchase Myanmar’s pigeon peas.
This year, India's demand for pigeon peas has been particularly high, which has resulted in an unprecedented increase in their price. In Yangon, the price of pigeon peas has reached K2,124,000 per tonne. Pigeon peas are cultivated only once a year and are grown in Mandalay, Magway, and Sagaing regions, as well as Chin, Kayah, and Shan states in Myanmar. The purchase of pigeon peas by India is facilitated by a contract between the governments of Myanmar and India. – Min Htet Aung (Mandalay Sub-Printing House)/ KZL
