Yangon fish markets face labour shortages and higher costs

Yangon’s fish markets remain busy before dawn, with workers unloading and sorting fish and seafood along the Hlaing river. At Shwe Padauk Fish Market, which has almost 500 vendors, workers in rubber gloves and boots move through melted ice as supplies arrive. Shwe Padauk and the older San Pya Fish Market are key transit points for fish and seafood eaten across the city.

The government said in May that about 400,000 viss, equal to more than 650,000 kilograms or 1.43 million pounds, of freshwater products pass through Shwe Padauk each day. The market also handles marine goods.

Workers said the markets have been affected by Myanmar’s five-year-old civil war. Many young men have left the country in recent years to work abroad and to avoid conscription, which was introduced to support the military after it ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in 2021.

Workers also said fighting in Rakhine state, which was formerly a large seafood supplier, has hurt business. One supervisor said business had been poor for about five months and that many workers had gone to Malaysia. Workers said saltwater supplies now come mainly from the Irrawaddy Delta, southwest of Yangon.

The report also said the Iran war had raised fuel costs worldwide, pushing up fish prices and weakening demand. A 40-year-old seafood dealer at Shwe Padauk, who spoke anonymously for security reasons, said his income had fallen this year. He said commodity prices had risen while vendor sales had dropped, and that high prices meant many people could no longer afford to buy and eat much fish.

Workers said they earned between 15,000 and 25,000 kyats, or $7 to $12, a day. The report said this was more than garment factory workers, who unions say are paid 10,000 to 20,000 kyats a day. The seafood dealer said friendships at the market continue outside work, but competition becomes intense when fish is scarce.