A shopper contemplates meat choices in a Yangon supermarket.

AS the popularity of shopping for food at supermarket chains has grown in Yangon, so too have sales of pre-packaged frozen meats.

Frozen meat sales have risen in supermarkets in the past three years, said a salesperson at the Super One market.

Although pork accounts for about 70 per cent of the total meat consumption in Yangon, chicken is the best-selling meat at the market, she said.

The supermarket offers whole chickens and chicken parts – including breasts, thighs, wings, legs and hearts – in various weights and sizes, the salesperson said.

Pork is the second best selling meat at the market, followed by beef and mutton, she said.

Supermarkets have also helped boost sales of meats by offering packages of readymade chicken, beef and mutton curry that include the basic ingredients and come with cooking instructions.

Chicken, beef and mutton that have been certified halal, or allowable for consumption under Islam, are also available at supermarket chains.

“Meat suppliers come the supermarket to bring fresh meat about every two days,” said the salesperson.

Daw Aye Thida, a housewife who is a regular customer at supermarket chains, said she shops there because frozen meat is reasonably priced and of reliable quality.

Meat is supplied to the Yangon market by four slaughterhouses run by the Yangon City Development Committee, and by more than 40 licenced private slaughterhouses.

Sources in the meat industry said sales usually drop during the rainy season when more fish, vegetables and fruit (especially mangoes) are available on the market.

The demand for pork reaches its peak during the Chinese New Year, and during traditional and religious festivals.

While pork is the most popular meat in Yangon, nationwide, chicken is the number one meat in terms of production, according to figures released by the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries.

During the 2004-2005 fiscal year 456,000 tonnes of chicken was produced, with pork production totaling 264,000 tonnes and beef 116,000 tonnes according to the figures.

Total meat production has increased annually in Myanmar, with last fiscal year’s production being about four times higher than it was 10 years ago: In 1995-1996, the country produced 101,000 tonnes of chicken, 66,000 tonnes of pork and 50 tonnes of beef.

The annual per capita consumption of meat increased from 4.2 kilograms in 1990-1991 to 14 kilograms in 2004-2005, according to the ministry’s figures.