Myanmar aims to export 3 million tons of rice in the current fiscal year

The Myanmar Rice Federation stated that it aims to export 3 million tons of rice abroad within the 2026-2027 fiscal year. In the first five months of the current fiscal year, over 840,000 tons of rice and broken rice were exported, generating US$291 million in export revenue. It was observed that the largest quantities of rice were exported to countries such as the Philippines, China, Poland, the Netherlands, Russia, Romania, Cameroon, Spain, and Belgium during the current fiscal year. Myanmar has over 15,000 registered rice mills, and it is said that many of the rice mills that operate at night using electricity are located in the Yangon Region, indicating that there is still a need for electricity in rice mills in other regions and states. Some rice mill entrepreneurs stated that it is necessary to expand and implement a system for charging electricity fees based on the time of use, in line with business needs, not only in the Yangon Region but also in major rice-producing regions such as Ayeyarwady, Bago, and other regions and states. Therefore, it is said that if electricity can be distributed to rice mills at a reasonable rate at night, it will not only help control factory energy costs but also allow continuous operation of processes such as drying paddy, milling, polishing, and sorting. To enable rice mill businesses to operate at full capacity by combining the main power grid and solar systems, there are 53 rice mills that have proposed installing solar systems in Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon, Ayeyarwady, Bago, Mandalay regions, and Mon State as an initial step, and solar systems have been installed in 32 rice mills. After the Ministry of Electricity and Energy allowed industrial enterprises in the Yangon Region, which have high electricity consumption, to draw electricity from 11 PM to 5 AM daily at a reduced rate of 600 kyats per unit from the original 900 kyats, provided they meet specified criteria, some rice mills have started operating at night.