Myanmar's food processing industry is still in the early stages of development. However, the sector is experiencing continued growth in production and exports. Myanmar intends to take advantage of its location, natural resources and competitiveness to establish itself as an important regional player.

Sector facts

• The food industry is largely dominated by MSMEs: In 2019, 85% of the 29,271 registered private industrial enterprises were either "small" (65%) or "medium" (20%) in size.
• Myanmar's food processing industry’s export earnings amounted to $110.1 million in 2018, or about 0.8% of the country's total exports of products.
• The industry is growing dynamically at an average rate of 13% over the period 2012-2018.

Main export markets

The sector's exports are largely concentrated in Asia. Thailand, Korea and China together account for 72% of national exports (35%, 21% and 17% respectively). Other Asian countries such as Japan (7%), Indonesia (4%), Singapore (3%) and Malaysia (2%) are also important partners.

Myanmar also exports to some Western countries such as Australia, France or the United States, but these exports are still very targeted. Australia mainly imports crabs (prepared or preserved), France imports shrimps and prawns (prepared or preserved) and the United States imports natural honey.

Main export products

The transformation of fish and crustaceans account for the bulk of Myanmar processed food exports, including fish flour (48%), prepared and preserved crustaceans (i.e. crab, shrimps and prawns) (10%) and prepared or preserved fish (1%). Other major export products include prepared nuts and seeds, in particular sesame seeds (21%), sugar (5%), natural honey (3%), edible bird’s nest (2%) and sauces and seasonings (2%).

 

 

Find suppliers of export-ready products from Myanmar