Myanmar targets $35 mln from crab export in 2009-10

YAGNON, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar Crab Entrepreneurs Association have set the target of crabs export to 35 million U.S. dollars in the present 2009-10 fiscal year starting April against the previous years' 31.5 million dollars, local weekly Yangon Times reported Wednesday.

Mainly exported to China, China's Hong Kong and Taiwan through Muse border point and air route, the crabs export has fetched about 2.5 million dollars monthly, the report said, adding that one ton of crabs get 1,900 dollars in the international market.

Meanwhile, Myanmar has been making efforts to pick up its marine export, targeting an export value of 700 million U.S. dollars in the present fiscal year.

The country's marine export dropped to 483 million dollars in 2008-09 from 560 million dollars in 2007-08.

The country had made endeavors to attain 850 million dollars in marine export in 2008-09 but failed due to the impact of last year's May storm, the global financial crisis and the flash surge of hard currency exchange rate, according to the Fishery Entrepreneurs Association.

China topped Myanmar's marine export country line-up, followed by Thailand, Japan and Singapore.

Myanmar's fishery sector remained as the fourth largest contributor to the gross domestic product and also the fourth largest source of foreign exchange earning during the past five years.

With a long coastline of over 2,800 km and a total area of 500,000 hectares of swamps along the coast, the country has an estimated sustainable yield of marine products at over one million tons a year.