Re. Burma Fund website

[douglas.steele@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

>Eric Snider
>Sent: Thursday, October 14, 1999 1:45 AM
>To: BurmaNet
>Subject: Re: MYANMAR EXPORTS 40,000 TONS OF RICE

>Not exactly your Central Statistical Organization wish list report but here
>are a few facts and figures about rice exports, production and consumption.
> Mainly based on U.S. Economic Trends Report for Burma issued in Sept 97
>with updates from news agency reports.

>It would be nice if the BurmaFund would post the Sept 98 or even Sept 99
>report Eco Trends reports on their website!!!

The 1997 edition of the Foreign Economic Trends Report (FETR) for Burma was
the last one produced.  The Burma FETR was only produced in 1996 and 1997,
largely to forestall an attempt by some within the World Bank and IMF to
arrange a loan program for Burma.  The publication of the FETR, which
disclosed just how bad a shape the economy was in, was in large part
responsible for the sharp dive of the kyat which occurred six months before
the wider Asian economic crisis.

A FETR is an enormous amount of work to produce and the State Department
generally prepares them only on countries that are major trading partners
with the US, which Burma is not.  State continues to produce Country
Commercial Guides which are dumbed down versions of the FETR.  For economic
analyses of Burma, including the 1997 Foreign Economic Trends Report, see:

http://www.burmafund.org/Research_Library/economy.htm