Seafood mongers resort to Sittwe auction amid disruption to market norms

By DMG 17 Jun 2021

DMG Newsroom
17 June 2021, Sittwe

Fish and prawns from northern Arakan State are being sold at auction in the state capital Sittwe because they can no longer easily be sent to Yangon and other parts of Myanmar.

Seafoods from Pauktaw, Sittwe, Myebon, Rathedaung and Ponnagyun are normally sold at wholesale centres, but because they are not fetching a suitable price via that system, they are being sold at auction in the Sittwe Myoma Market, said Ko Bo Than Maung, a fish broker in Sittwe.

“We can get a better price at auction. They receive K3,000 more per viss,” he said.

Fishermen have recently caught more fish and prawns due to heavy rains and high tides, but they are not receiving good prices for their catch, said U Nga Lone, a fisherman from Pauktaw town.

U Thein Soe Aung, a fish trader in Sittwe, said that same weather could also work against fish mongers.

“If the rain is heavy, there are not so many buyers at the auction. So, the price is not high. If there are many buyers, the price is higher,” he explained.

Fish traders in Kyaukphyu and Thandwe townships said they have to sell their seafood at cheaper prices in-state because they cannot send their product outside Arakan State.

Prior to the February 1 military coup, seafood was shipped from Arakan State by truck as well as flights, but air deliveries have not been possible since the putsch.