MYANMAR’S participation in a project funded by the Australian government will assist in raising quality standards in the fruit and vegetable sector, a senior government horticulturalist said last week.

The deputy general manager of the horticulture section at the Myanma Agricultural Service, U Kyaw Win, was referring to project funded by the Australian government aid agency, AusAID, to upgrade quality assurance for fruit and vegetables in four ASEAN countries.

As part of the project, a train-the-trainer workshop on food safety management and post harvest quality was held at the Central Agriculture Research and Training Centre near Hlegu, about 30 miles north of Yangon last month.

The five-day workshop, attended by 20 government agricultural staff from throughout the country, was presented by the project’s director, Dr Robert Premier, together with another Australian specialist.

U Kyaw Win said those who attended the workshop would pass on their knowledge to farmers and traders.

The general manager of the MAS extension division, U Hla Myo, said in a speech at the start of the workshop that farmers, traders and consumers needed to acquire more knowledge about safety and quality for fruit and vegetables, including the hazards posed by the use of chemicals in cultivation and processing. U Hla Myo said fruit and vegetables, which were necessary for a healthy, balanced diet, were estimated to be grown on more than
one million hectares in Myanmar.