Myanmars mango export to China and Singapore: implications for export destination diversification

Abstract

Myanmar's mango export industry depends disproportionately on China. By comparing the country's supply chain for export to China with that for export to Singapore, this chapter elucidates the obstacles that prevent diversification of export destinations. Major findings from interviews with key informants and analyses of the secondary data are as follows; First, the fruits exported to Singapore are interchangeable with those exported to China. Second, these countries' sanitary and phytosanitary measures do not bottleneck imports from Myanmar. Third, notable differences are evident between the supply chains with respect to the post-harvest handling of fruits, particularly sorting and grading, treatment for pest and disease control, and logistics management. On the whole, these findings suggest that a shortage of firms orchestrating the post-harvest management inhibits growth of export to Singapore. By contrast, for exports to China, the wholesale market in the borderland compensate for lack of coordinating firms. Myanmar's trade policies, which discourage foreign investment in the trade of fresh fruits, call for further consideration.