Khit Myanmar 2007

Khit Myanmar Vol. 4, No. 16 (January 26)

• Trade Council is issuing import licences since January first week to about 30 private companies that applied licences for import of total of 20,000 tonnes of palm oil. (January 20 news)

• Onion price drops under K1,000 per viss during January third week for the first time after monsoon onion is harvested throughout the country. The price was at about K2,000 per viss in January first week. (January 19 news)

• Rice prices that fluctuated in January first week cool down in mid-January and Grade III rice price drops about K500 per bag. GIII rice price in Bayintnaung wholesale complex ranges between K15,000 and K15,500 per bag while GI rice price (Pyapon) K23,500 per bag. (January 16 news)

• Prices of export fish are likely to be raised about 10 per cent. The current prices of top-export freshwater fish such as carp and catfish are US$1,200 and $1,400 per tonne respectively. (January 15 news)

• About 14.79 per cent of annual deforested 540,700 acres are being reforested, according to the Department of Forestry. More than 50 per cent of the country's total area is still covered with the forests, the department's figure said. (January 15 news)

• Local authorities crack down unregistered liquor retailed shops in Wakema Township's Kyoun-ma-ngay town. There are about 14 such shops in the town and residents said the proportionate number of liquor shops was much more than its population. (January 15 news)

• Areca nut (Kuon-thee) export especially to India has dropped due to export price becoming close to Indian local market price, a Ministry of Commerce research paper said. More than 2,000 tonnes of Areca nuts were exported in 2002 and the volume was dropped to about 1,000 tonnes in 2005. (January 14 news)

• Chilli price is likely to drop during this year as a result of increased plantation acres in Ayeyarwaddy Division, major chilli producing area in the country. (January 14 news)

• Paddy prices in Bago Division's Paungde, Nattalin, Zigon and Gyobingauk townships drop since January second week as local farmers are to sell their stocks for rations. (likely to be for military rations) (January 14 news)

• Japanese NGO, Bridge Asia Japan, will build a river-cross bridge in a village in Maungdaw Township and the Japanese government will contribute US$61,609 for the bridge project under its grassroots grant assistance scheme. (January 12 news)

• Less volume of paddy is being milled daily at the rice mills in Ayeyarwaddy Division's Labutta Township even though traders anticipated that the higher prices of rice and paddy during this season. (January 10 news)   

Khit Myanmar Vol. 4, No. 15 (January 19)

• A letter bomb explosion at Bahan Township post office on January 15 injured postal clerk U Kyaw Than Win. It is the first bomb explosion in Rangoon during this year. (January 15 news)

• The Directorate of Border Trade is preparing to make available the export/import licences online since January at the Muse 105^th mile trade zone. It will also expand the system at other border checkpoints. (January 11 news)

• The United Nations Population Fund is arranging to provide the Population Department about US$0.1million worth technologies, computers and accessories in early this year. (January 8 news)

• Traders are storing various commodities and products in warehouses in Muse 105^th mile trade zone as preparation for forthcoming Chinese new year feast. (January 7 news)

• Prices of raw material for fish feed in December have increased about 33 per cent compared to that of in January last year. Prices of farmed fish are quite stable in 2006. (January 6 news) 

• Only about ten per cent of 3million tonnes fishery products are exported and farms are required to produce higher quality fishery products in order to increase export volume. (January 6 news)

• Retailed fixed price of palm oil - available in 11 townships out of Rangoon's municipal areas - is increased to K1,415 from K1,150 per viss recently. 2,355 shop owners in Rangoon receive palm oil quota of four barrels per week in order to redistribute the public with fixed price. (January 6 news)

• Medecins Sans Frontieres's (AZG) country representative Dr Frank Smithius said only Burmese citizens were severely hurt because of the United State's economic sanctions. Meanwhile AZG plans to provide ARV drugs during this year to 6,000 people living with HIV/AIDS. It enabled to provide such drugs last year to more than 4,000 people. (January 4 news)

• A cruise ship, MV Princess Danae, carrying 228 tourists of whom 224 are France is likely to arrive in Rangoon in later January. (January 3 news)

Khit Myanmar Vol. 4, No. 14 (January 12)


*       The Myanmar Red Cross Society and International Committee of the Red Cross plan to provide 1,000 amputees especially from Kayin, Kachin, Shan and Mon states and Bago and Tanintharyi divisions the free prosthesis during 2007. (January 3 news)
*       Four Chinese (Taipei) investors plan to invest in Burma's fishery industry - especially in establishing tilapia and eel farming. (January 3 news)
*       The Ministry of Electric Power No (1) and China Power Investment Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding late December on establishing 5,600 megawatts-hydropower projects in Kachin State. (January 2 news)
*       The government is likely to allow the semi-government and private banks to open new branch offices throughout the country. (January 2 news)
*       A Switzerland-based NGO, Francois-Xavier Bagnoud, is planning to distribute more anti-retroviral drugs to people living with HIV/AIDS. It is providing such drugs to 70 people with the assistance of Fund for HIV/AIDS Myanmar. (January 2 news)   
*       A 17-member research group from an English NGO, International Developing Society, visited Bago, Nyaung U, Popa, Pyinoolwin, Monywa and Rangoon from November 24 to December 9 to study forests and plant species. (December 27 news)
*       Rubber and some crops including maize and sugarcane that are grown as a poppy-substitute in Kokang and Wa special regions would be exported more to China in 2007 as yield of those crops are believed to be up in that year, officials from the special regions said. (December 27 news)   
*       More than 86million cubic-foot of natural gas and 732 barrels of crude oil are produced daily at the Nyaungtone onshore oil and gas field. (December 20 news)
*       The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation has spent US$100 within 20 years in accomplishing more than 100 projects in Burma, its country representative Mr Tang Zhengping said. The agency is working about ten national level projects currently. (December 2 news) 


Khit Myanmar Vol. 4, No. 13 (January 5)

*       Western Command and Rakhine State Peace and Development Council would collaborate more with UN agencies and international NGOs for fighting HIV/AIDS, its commander Brig-Gen Maung Shein said at a HIV/AIDS prevention special meeting held on December 21 in Sittwe. So far they were working together with iNGOs including AZG, Care Myanmar and UNAIDS for controlling such viruses in the state, he said. (December 29 news)
*       Local construction companies including Tawwin and Myanmar Vpile begin construction work on a state-owned steel plant in a raw iron-enriched area, about eight-mile from Taunggyi. (December 27 news)
*       Traders who are trading animals and animal-product traders between Burma and Thailand would be required to have permissions from relevant country. (December 27 news)
*       Parcel packages sent from foreign countries are to be collected at the Myanma Posts and Telecommunications' post service after being taxed twice including commercial tax. (December 26 news)
*       Thailand and Malaysia will collaborate with Burma to establish a foot and mouth disease free zone in Tanintharyi Division's Myeik. (December 23 news) 
*       Onion price is likely to drop after mid January when onions grown in monsoon season are to be harvested, onion traders from Bayintnaung wholesale complex said. (December 22 news)
*       More sewage treatment plants using activated sludge process system would be established in Rangoon, Rangoon Mayor Brig-Gen Aung Thein Linn said at the opening of a sewage treatment plant in Botahtaung Township. (December 22 news)     
*       The Myanmar Printing and Publishers Association now has total of 608 members of which 165 are admitted during this year, said its chair U Maung Maung. (December 16 news)
*       The Myanmar Rice and Paddy Traders' Association will establish a company - to be formed as a private company to get involved in export import sector. (December 16 news)
*       Fish and prawn are farmed in more than 407,000 acres in 2006, which is fourfold of farming acres in 1998. (December 16 news)