NAY PYI TAW March 15
Chairman of State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, accompanied by SAC Joint Secretary General Ye Win Oo, SAC members, the Yangon Region chief minister, senior military officers from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, the Yangon Command commander and officials, visited Asia World Port Terminal- AWPT in Ahlon Township, Yangon Region, this morning and inspected the degree of its performance and trade activities.
The Senior General and party arrived at the hall of a three-storey building of Asia World Port Terminal-AWPT and were welcomed by officials.
Union Minister for Transport and Communications General Mya Tun Oo presented a report on the performance of port activities including, brief history of the port functions brief account of the policies, Myanmar ports, year-wise progress of jetties, jetties of Yangon Port and Thilawa Port areas, port activities and progress, promotion of maritime agricultural exports, import/export activities through Yangon-Kawthoung-Ranong trip, promotion of trade through transshipment, financial earnings and expenditure and work review, and Union Minister for Commerce U Tun Ohn on conducting of trade in accord with the five-point roadmap and three economic objectives of SAC, progress in implementing the directives of the Senior General in connection with export promotion, trade activities during the period from financial year 2011-2012 to March FY 2024-2025, month-wise trade activities in FY 2024-2025, volume of item-wise exports during the period from FY 2011-2012 to 12 March FY 2024-2025, item-wise export comparison between the period up to 12 March FY 2024-2025 and the previous year, largest exported items and largest importer countries, rice, broken rice, beans and pulses, corn, sesame and cotton exports, item-wise imports up to 12 March FY 2024-2025, FY-wise largest imported items.
As regards the reports, the Senior General said in the past, Myanmar served as the main port of the whole Southeast Asia.
But exports are declining due to various reasons at present.
The country must seek export promotion means and overcome hardships and restrictions.
Myanmar Port Authority should apply fair practices in giving mooring permissions, and should take into account the type and size of ships in doing so.
It should calculate the degree of restrictions that may appear after the completion of the Myanmar-Korea friendship bridge (Dala) and make preparations to overcome them.
Due to economic sanctions imposed on the country, there is a growing need to enhance domestic production and promote the export sector, according toreports. There is a need to scale up the production of existing market goods, particularly agricultural products, and expand their export to international markets.
In addition to agricultural products, there is potential to export industrial agricultural goods and food products.
Therefore, it is essential to further enhance production beyond current levels. It is essential to produce and export high-value, high-quality products such as rubber and coffee, which are already in the market.
Additionally, expanding cultivated acreage is necessary to boost production.
To boost exports, it is crucial to meet the target output of agricultural activities.
Export growth will only be possible when production targets are achieved, and output quality remains high.
Increasing the production of oilseeds will help reduce the country’s reliance on imported edible oil.
Gradual reforms are needed in corn cultivation to enable the production of high-value products from corn, rather than exporting it as raw material.
Achieving this transformation will support the development of MSME businesses.
Entrepreneurs must establish corn processing factories and gradually shift from producing raw corn to manufacturing finished corn products.
Regarding rice, it is essential to focus on milling and producing high-quality rice, with the aim of exporting premium, high-value rice to international markets.
If sequential cropping is successfully implemented, agricultural output will double, leading to an increase in the production of finished products as well. Given that there are no restrictions on the export of agricultural and livestock products produced in the country, officials at all levels must take decisive actions to ensure these products are exported efficiently and without delay.
It is also crucial to systematically plan transportation routes to ensure that vehicles departing from the port can leave on time, while making the necessary arrangements to prevent traffic congestion.
There is a need to implement a plan that ensures fairness in the management of ports.
He emphasized that major entrepreneurs and business owners with strong financial capacity should prioritize investments in agriculture, farming, and agro-based industries, as these sectors directly contribute to the development and the socio-economic advancement of the country and people.
Then, the Union Minister for Transport and Communications presented a commemorative gift to the Senior General.
Subsequently, the Senior General and members visited the Asia World Port Terminal (AWPT) to inspect port operations and provided necessary guidance based on the presentations delivered by the officials.
