The "tragedy" at the Chinese border: Thousands of tons of rotting fruit, mass discarded

Thousands of tons of fruit are thrown away

According to SCMP, thousands of tons of watermelons are being dumped on roads along Myanmar's border with southwestern China. Local exporters complain that strict Covid-19 pandemic control measures have made the trade in perishables "almost impossible".

Main roads linking the city of Ruili in Yunnan province - China's main gateway to Myanmar - remain congested with hundreds of trucks waiting to clear checkpoints.

"Before the pandemic, we used to export more than 500 trucks of fruit a day to China, mainly tropical fruits such as watermelon, honeydew melon, mango, etc. Now, every day only Less than 10 trucks can cross the border," said Lee Htay, a transport company owner.

Business was only just getting back to work after five months of border closures related to the pandemic, when China reopened its main overland route at Wanding town in Ruili on November 26. But the slow customs clearance process on both sides has frustrated exporters.

"We have to find a way to export to other countries or sell in the local market, but those things take time. In most cases, we just have to throw out all the melons," said Mr. Lee . .

Trucks from Myanmar lined up on the road leading to Thuy Le.Photo: SCMP

He said at least 200 trucks full of fruit were still stuck on the road from Myanmar's second largest city of Mandalay to the border town of Muse, the main road connecting the Wanding and Jiegao regions in the Swiss city. Li of China.

"Some drivers gave up after days of waiting and threw away rotting goods. They returned to transport non-perishables, like jade and wood."

And the pandemic is not the only challenge. There is also the impact of armed conflict in Myanmar.

Wanding is just 50 meters from the town of Pang Hseng in Myanmar's northern Shan state, where government troops and ethnic Shan armed groups have been fighting since August.

The conflict has caused injury and property damage in Wanding, and impacted the business. Last year's residents were advised to minimize outdoor activities and take shelter if they heard gunfire.

The situation is bleak

According to the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar, the gateway in Wanding handled a total transaction volume of about 200 million yuan ($31 million) in December, a month after it reopened, down more than 40% from with 2020.

The Chinese embassy said the strict containment measures meant that border facilities could only handle about 40 trucks a day.

Thuy Le, which is famous for its jade and thrives on cross-border trade, has had to lock its doors four times in the past year.

Despite complaints spreading on social media - saying their patience and savings were exhausted after more than 300 days of lockdown, local officials said strict measures were introduced in January. 3 will not be relaxed and residents will continue to be barred from leaving their homes without good cause.

A Chinese fruit importer in Ruili said opening Wanding doesn't really make sense.

"I don't think the trade situation will improve in the short term. The Rui Le government said that it will not relax the measures to prevent Covid-19 and that the import of fruits and vegetables from Myanmar is clearly not the case. their top concern," said one trader.

Thuy Le city, bordering Myanmar on three sides for nearly 170 km, is also dealing with a pandemic.

As of January 4, the World Health Organization has reported more than 528,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and more than 19,230 deaths in Myanmar. A military coup in February 2020 caused the collapse of Myanmar's health system, as many medical workers joined prolonged strikes.

Thuy Le has returned illegal immigrants found in the city, and erected barbed wire fences with state-of-the-art cameras at the border.

In addition to Ruili in western Yunnan, the southern city of Jinghong not far away is also being affected, after two asymptomatic Covid-19 cases were reported in late December.

A statement from local officials said the two had been in contact with the same illegal immigrant, but no further details were given.

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