· There are only a few highway cargo trucks at Bayint Naung wholesales market, because more cargo trucks are going to China border with watermelon from lower and central Burma. In Mandalay, there are many cargo trucks awaiting cargo, but they are not coming back to Rangoon because of higher toll fees and wheel tax (entrance fees) along the way to Rangoon. Town entrance fees alone cost kyats 5400 from Mandalay to Rangoon. There are also news that the companies which build the Rangoon Mandalay highway roads will raise the toll fees after they finished repairing the roads. Diesel and tire prices are also rising. Rangoon’s highway cargo truck operators are asking more transport fees because of higher expenses.
· Rice market is brisk and prices are getting higher. There are news that there are rice buying for the military. Although the rice market becomes active in this month, rice merchants said this year rice market is the slowest in 3 years. Middle class people are turning to eat 2nd quality rice due to higher prices of the 1st quality rice, said the rice merchants.
· Pulse and beans market is cool, after the second week of March when there was a ship loading pulses and beans for India. After the ship left, the market became cool. Export market for pulses and beans is not stable and there are many risks for the traders, said the market sources. There are no more L/C remittance from the foreign buyers and the buyers are turning to T/T system when they buy pulses and beans from Burma.
· Onion and chilli prices are also low, due to good harvest this year. Onion and chilli harvest almost double this year because of the fair weather.
News and views from Mandalay
· The weather becomes very hot this year in Mandalay. There are more Chinese make motorcycles running on the roads in Mandalay. The riders have to carry their own ID cards, together with any other cards issued by various authoritative organisations. Actually, “Modernisation” is the reflection of “Wisdom and Culture”, said the writer.
· The historic Mandalay’s central “Zay Cho” market’s 100th anniversary will be celebrated in April. The market, which witnessed many historical events and gone through different era, will be demolished soon and replaced by modern buildings.
· Mandalay University Geology department’s (1953-2003) golden jubilee magazine issued. The most interesting articles are about the potential of severe earthquakes in Mandalay. The articles warned not to build high rise buildings in Mandalay.
From Myawaddy to Myawaddy
The road to Myawaddy border town has been opened to border traders for the last 15 years and there are even local tours to Myawaddy this year, due to improved road conditions. The famous Thamanya Abbot built the road between Myawaddy border town and PaAn town in Karen State. Although the Abbot passed away last year, the patrons of the Thamanya monastery has continued to repair and maintain the road. Myawaddy town is only 300 miles away from Rangoon and it takes about 12 hours to drive from Rangoon to Myawaddy. The narrow winding mountain road is opens for up traffic one day and down traffic the next day.
Land prices in some road side villages near PaAn has risen to over kyats 10 million for a small plot of land, because business is good at these villages.
One the road to Myawaddy, pickup trucks loaded with cooking gas cylinders can be seen. The gas cylinders are refill in Thailand and return to towns and cities in Burma.
Myawaddy town is busy on the up traffic days and quiet on the down traffic days. The area near the Friendship Bridge, which links Myawaddy and Maesot in Thailand, is always busy and crowded with people. Telecommunication is efficient in Myawaddy town, with the widespread use of mobile phones from Thailand.
It does not take long for the procedures to pass the border. It costs kyats 500 to get a one day border pass and the procedures take about 15 minutes. Most of the people from Burma headed for Maesot market after they arrive in Maesot. Maesot market is busy with traders from Burma. Most of the shops employed Burmese salesmen or salesgirls to cater the Burmese buyers. The market is full with products ranging from motorcycles to consumers goods.
Back in Myawaddy, the trishaw drivers said they could make about kyats 4000-5000 a day, almost double than Rangoon. Food stalls are busy until 10 p.m at nights in Myawaddy, on the up traffic days.
Most of the importing goods from Thailand’s Maesot town are edible oil, plastic products, consumers goods and snacks.
The trucks plying on the road between Pa-An and Myawaddy depend on Thai petrol and diesel. A gallon of petrol costs kyats 1800 (approx. US$ 2.15).
The checkpoint near Myawaddy is very strict. It takes about 3-4 hours for the down traffic trucks waiting to pass through the checkpoint.
The area has become very safe, said a journalist who visited the area recently. Goods sent from Maesot and reach Rangoon within 24 hours and the road has become an important trade route between Thailand and Burma.
Pa-An becomes the centre of trade between Maesot-Myawaddy with the other parts of Burma and the town becomes prosperous due to increasing trade activities. There are still many restrictions for border trade between Thailand and Burma, but the Karen State is seen as the most promising State for border trade between Thailand and Burma, wrote the article.
· Car prices drop. Not many car buyers in recent months and car brokers and sellers have to sell with reduced prices to be able to make a sale. The car market sources said car prices will go down to pre-2002 prices, which is about half of the recently highest prices.
· Generator sales have gone up about 4 times in February and the prices also went up about 25%. Generator sales and prices came down in March, because of slightly increased electric power supply.
· The Internet Server from Bagan Cybertech, the only private Internet Service Provider, has faced technical problems in February and March. The Server could not perform well and the efficiency of the service has dropped in those months. Users were unable to get access through the Bagan Cybertech.
· Cotton prices double due to the government announcement on liberalisation of cotton trade. Local traders are travelling to small villages to buy cotton directly from the farmers.
· Books rental business has dropped due to increasing book prices. Book rental shops are seeing 70% decline in business, said the rental shop owners.
· Due to the high diesel costs, many fishing boats in Rakkhine State have stop operating.
· Htoo Trading Company received permission and will build a hotel in Moulmein at a prestigious location on the Strand Road in Moulmein.
· The Moulmein Bridge construction will be completed by the end of this year. Land prices near the bridge in Moulmein have risen significantly.
· Birds (Pet) market active with imported birds from Thailand.
(Other articles not related to local market. Mostly about economics and world market news.)