Shan State to build international standard avocado cultivation zone

YANGON- A 2500-acre international level avocado cultivation zone will be built in Shan State this year under the help of the Shan State Government Committee, according to Myanmar Avocado Producer and Exporter Association.

“We will be establishing the 25,000-acre wide avocado plantations. Current avocado growers are farmers living in Shan State. They have to grow avocado plants according to their traditional methods. As for our association, we are going to collect quality control and cultivation methods. Later, we will build the avocado plantation zone. We, the association, urged the Shan State Government Committee to establish avocado plantation zone as well as the state government committee replied that they would provide required assistances. Moreover, we will be submitting our plan to the state government committee. If government will locate the land plot which is nearby the farmers as well as us, we are going to implement our project within two or three months.” said Lin Thant Aung from Myanmar Avocado Producer and Exporter Association.

At present, Myanmar exports avocados to the neighboring countries through border trade. Upon completion of the zone, those avocados will be exported to Japan and Taiwan by using cold storage containers via water route, says Lin Thant Aung.

In Myanmar, although there have been hundred thousands acres of avocado plantations, just only between 100 and 200 acres plantations are international standard levels.

The current price of avocado is US$ 1,200 per ton and Myanmar earns about 30 Baht per Kilo from avocado export.

“Avocado growers get a little price which is the reject fruit’s price. There are no certificates and international level avocado plantations. There have been between 100-acre and 200-acre wide international level avocado plantations. If we have hundreds of avocados, other countries didn’t buy. If we will build the zone, avocados would be sent to any countries,” said Lin Thant Aung.

The entrepreneurs and business associations are now cooperating to extend newly export fruit items including avocado in coming fiscal year, says Toe Aung Myint, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce on December 12th.