· Burma’ ministry of transport to open a 12000 tons dry dock in Rangoon in early 2005. The dock was construct with the US$ 25.45 million loans from China’s Shandong Agricultural Industry and Commerce Group Corporation.
· Only the rubber plantation owners will be allow to export rubber, said the UMFCCI (Burma’s Chamber of Commerce) official. A rubber plantation owner said they only know how to plant rubber and they do not understand the export market.
· Burmese border traders are allowed to travel freely to Cox Barzar and Chittagone, said a Bangladesh diplomat in Rangoon. But Burmese authorities do not allow Bangladeshi border traders to travel to Maung Daw and Sittwe near the border, said the diplomat.
· Pirated VCDs are selling well in Burma’s states and divisions. An original VCD costs kyats 1700 and a pirated one costs only kyats 500, explained a shop owner.
· Burma to expand industrial zones in southern Burma’s Mon and Karen States, said an industrialist from Moulmein. The 980 acres Myawaddy industrial zone near the border will take 2 mega watts of electricity from Thailand, said the industrialist.
· Some electronic technicians in Burma can upgrade the low model satellite receivers with some software downloaded from Internet, to be able to received and watch some new satellite T.V channels.
· The formation of co-operatives has to gone through a strict scrutiny by the ministry of co-operatives, said Col. Soe Win, director general of ministry of co-op. There are a total of 4000 registered co-operatives in Burma and many have ceased operation before year 2000, said the official.
· Hlaw Ga wildlife park near Rangoon needs conservation works, said a visitor to the park. Plastic garbage and wastes from visitors at the park become a serious problem and public toilets in the park need cleanliness, said the visitor. Some restricted activities such as fishing and swimming in the park are also easily broken and needed to stop to protect the environment, added the visitor.
· Chinese truck tyre prices get higher due to import tax hike, said a tyre importer. Most of the Burmese trucks and cars use Chinese made tyre.
· FREDA is involved as an advisor in the Timber Certificate Committee, which will issue Timber Certificates to the woods and timbers to be exported, said FREDA’s Chairman Sein Aung Wint. Currently, developed countries such as Japan will buy timber only from countries with sustainable forest management practice and Timber Certificates are needed as a proof of such practice in the original country, said the principal of forestry training school in Hmawbi near Rangoon. FREDA is an NGO with interest in forest environmental issues and has been working with international NGOs in reforestation of 1115 acres tidal forests in Burma’s Delta areas.
· 7 US professors, including Burma’s expert Robert Taylor, had conducted lectures from 13th July to 23rd July in Rangoon University. The topic was ‘Researcher Courses for Junior University Faculty in History, Literature and Social Science’. About 100 Burmese professors and lecturers attended the lectures on Comparative Government, Cultural Anthology, Public Administration, SEA, Historiography and Research Methods. This programme in the first programme of such kind arranged by the ministry of education said the visiting professor Robert Taylor.
· Burma to plant 34,000 acres of teak plantations by 2005, said the forestry officials. Burma earned US$ 280 million by teak exports in 2003-04 and Burma plans to increase teak plantations with the aim to increase exports, said the official. 52.28% of Burma’s total land areas (35,347 sq.km) are covered by forests and 37.38% of the areas are covered by thick rain forests and 14.9% are degraded forests.
· Some soft drinks produced in Burma are found to be of low quality or damaged and unfit for consumption, said a consumer. Deposits and rusts are often found in some of the bottles of soft drinks produced in Burma, said the consumer.
· Burma’s Archaeology Department is planning to restore Pagan’s eastern palace walls with the expenses of kyats 20 million, said a resident from Pagan. The restoration works have to be done without damaging the existing old palace wall, said a veteran historian.
· World Vision to expand its community development works in three townships in Chin State, Kayah State and Rangoon divisions. World Vision has started its community development works in 19 townships in Burma since 1996. Education, health, HIV/AIDS awareness, human trafficking and extra curriculum education programs are involved in World Vision works.
· Mud crab catches have declined this monsoon in Burma Delta’s Bogalay Township, where most of Burma’s crabs are catch. Many crab catchers have shifted to other fishing, said a trader from the township.
· Burma’s Tourism Association will open ‘Professional Marketing for Hospitality & Tourism Course’ for the first time in Burma. Burmese tourism executives work only on experience and they lack the knowledge in theories and systems, especially in marketing, said an executive from the association.
· A new environmental NGO is formed in Burma. The Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association-BANCA, is formed to work in environmental conservation. The other two NGOs are Forest Resources Environmental Development and Conservation Association-FREDA, formed in 1993, and Myanmar Birds and Nature Society-MBNS, formed in 2000.
· Burma’s pigeon peas exports have declined since May, said a trader in Rangoon. Previously, pigeon exports have been around 1000 tons per month, but since May this year, the exports have declined because local selling prices are higher than the international market prices, said the trader.
· There is no meteorological station along Burma coast, said an official from meteorology department. Weather data are collected from Burma’s Five Star shipping lines and the department needs to upgrade its equipment and expand its stations, said the official.
· Burma experienced record breaking high tide this year, said deputy director general of meteorology department.
· Many Burmese cordial (fruit juice) producers use recycled PET bottles and that is harmful to the consumers, said an expert on food technology. Producers said the PET bottle costs are more expensive than the juice itself. There are about 10 fruit juice producers in Burma.
· Burma to host a pearl exhibition in December to attract local buyers, said an official from Burma Pearl enterprise. Locals Pearl purchases have increased after two Pearl exhibitions in 2003 in Rangoon, said the official.
· Condominium and flat rental rates have declined about 35% in Rangoon, said a real estate agent.
· Burma’s hilsa fish exports to Bangladesh have increased this fishing season, said a marine products exporter.
· Forest Resources Environmental Development and Conservation Association- FREDA and Nepal’s Katmandu based International Mountain-range Development Association will co-operate in environmental conservation works in Burma, said the FREDA chairman.
· Burma is importing bull-sperms to be used in artificial insemination to upgrade Burmese cattle industry, said a veterinary official. Burma regularly exports cows, cow intestines and cow hides to China and Thailand.
· The government’s shipping service in Bogalay Township in the Delta charges the passengers more than the usual fares, said a local passenger. The government ships are mostly travelling at nights with little safety precautions and there are prevailing dangers for the passengers, said the local traveller.
· Heavy rains caused damages to the Monywa-Kalaywa road, which links central Burma and India border, and the road is inaccessible at present. The road is on the planned three country high-way, which will link India, Burma and Thailand.
· Burma’s first accounting software named ‘Biz Acc Gold’ enters into the software market, said an executive from the company, which developed the software. There are about 400 users of the software in the country, said the executive.
· About 120 toddy palm farmers sustained death or injuries every year due to the falls from the toddy palm trees, said a doctor who conducted a research on job related accidents. Burma needs to educate its work force on job related accident precaution. Job related accidents rank 33 in Burma’s 39 most serious diseases, said the doctor.
· The sesame farmers are expecting higher prices this year because there is the possibility of lower yields due to heavy rain in central Burma’s sesame planting regions. Current low sesame prices are not profitable for the farmers and the farmers may shift to other crops next year, if the sesame prices remain low due to the export ban, said a trader. An official from Burma’s edible oil merchants association said that one ton of black sesame seed exports can import two tons of edible palm oil and the government should review its policy of banning sesame seed exports. Another agriculture expert said the individual sesame farmers should receive agriculture loans like the other big farmers in palm oil plantations.
· Most of the new generation orthopaedics surgeons in Burma lack the knowledge and experience, said the professor of orthopaedics department in Rangoon institute of medicines. There have been increasing mistakes in treating trauma patients and the mistakes are due to negligence and lack of interest.
· Natural cum culture system shrimp farms become popular in Burma’s Delta region due to lower costs to raise the shrimps. More and more shrimp farmers are turning to natural cum culture system said a shrimp farmer who owns 300 shrimp ponds.
· Burma still have many unspoilt tourism destinations and resources, said Dr. Chira Hongladarom from Thailand based Foundation for Int’l Human Resources Development. He said that at a forum on ‘Tourism, Globalisation and Sufficiency Economy Theory in Burma, held in last week of July in Rangoon’s Sedona Hotel. 19 scholars from Thailand and Burmese tourism officials and industrialists attended the forum.
· Local authorities’ assistance and books donations are the main requirements to establish self-help libraries around Burma, said an official from ministry of information. Many of the book packages remain untouched after they were delivered to the local monasteries, which are being used as mobile libraries, said the official.
· Article about building FRP (Fibreglass Reinforced Plastic) boats in Burma’s Institute of Marine Technology. The students participate in building the FRP boats to get experience in boat building, with the technical assistance of Japanese experts, said director Min Min Aung from Silver Wave Trading Ltd, which is building the boats in the institute. Most of the orders come from Burma’s police force, said the director.
· Article about wild flora and fauna protection in Burma. Many rare orchids were smuggled out to China in big quantity, said the article. Some locals chopped down the big trees just to get some orchid plants, said the article. Some wildlife farms have used the loopholes in the law to smuggle wild flora and fauna, the article said. There are increasing wildlife restaurants along Rangoon-Mandalay highway road in 2003. Wildlife trade have been thrived in the country and only those traders involved in the smuggling and those who fail or neglect to enforced the laws are getting richer, but the poor local hunters receive very little from the trade, said the article.
· Onion production in Burma will decrease in the coming years, if the government continue to impose export ban on the crop, said the article on onion market. Onion farmers should be given incentives to increase their production and the government should focus on price stability rather than lowering the prices, said the article.
· Article on the Tourism Diploma Course, which plans to start in December 2004. The course may attract more students if the quality of the course can match to international standards and if there are job opportunities after graduating from the course, said the article.
· Article about overseas seamen employment agencies. Many seaman have to return to Burma after they found that they have been cheated by the agencies.
· Article about HIV/AIDS drugs distribution plan in Burma. WHO and UNICEF offer to buy HIV/AIDS drugs from the importing companies with discounted prices, and distribute them freely to the AIDS patients, the article said. Currently, there are 5 importers importing HIV/AIDS drugs to Burma.
· Article on the first Burma’s Birds Watching Course by Burma Birds and Nature Society. Birds are very important for forest conservation and sustainable forest development, said the article. The forests’ quality and survival rate depends 70% on birds, the article wrote.
Article about the history of libraries, current libraries and the future of libraries. Some information and comparison on the international libraries and Burma’s libraries. Burmese government libraries tend to take care of the books rather than lending them to the readers, said the article.
· Interview with U Thaw Kaung, chief librarian of Rangoon University.
· Article about expanding modern public libraries in Burma.
· Article about obtaining knowledge and wisdom through education and reading. (Burmese students lack the habit of reading, said the article.)
· Article about the needs for good libraries in Burma.
· Article about urban migration and employment opportunities in Burma. More migrant workers move from rural areas into the cities.
· Article about women’s performance and development. Equal opportunities in Burma, said the article.
· Article about Semi-Libraries (Book rental shops) business.
· Burma’s monthly magazines and their in-house styles.
· The prospect for Burma’s cultured pearl market. Article on Burma’s pearl culture.
· Different views on private clinics and healthcare services in Burma. Recently, there were criticisms in Burmese media about malpractice in private clinics.
· Article about meteorology and social-economics impacts.
· Article about antiques market in Burma.
· Rangoon wholesales market news. Most of the consumer goods prices are still stable amidst the import tax hike. Cargo transport businesses are complaining that 80% of their earnings are spent on toll fees, bridge crossing fees and various taxes on the highway roads.
· Buyers guide.
· Burma diary
Other articles not related to Burma’s economy