State Administration Council Chairman Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing yesterday morning met the entrepreneurs of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) within Nay Pyi Taw Council Area at Zabuthiri Hall in the compound of Nay Pyi Taw Council and discussed the development of regional businesses.
Also present at the meeting were: SAC Vice-Chair Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win, SAC Members, the Secretary and the Joint Secretary, Union Ministers, the Nay Pyi Taw Council Chair, the Chief of the General Staff (Army, Navy and Air) and high-ranking officers from the C-in-C Office, the Nay Pyi Taw Command Commander and responsible departmental personnel.
First, Nay Pyi Taw Council Chairman U Tin Oo Lwin submitted matters relating to the development of MSMEs, the agricultural and livestock breeding activities in the Council Area, the manufacturing of value-added products in the industrial zones and the provision of the technical and monetary assistance inter alia.
Next, U Kyaw Swa Win, the chairman of MSMEs in Nay Pyi Taw, and some manufacturers submitted progress reports on the effectuation of industrial and agricultural development activities. They demanded providing of legal protection and means and instruments of production in addition to the plots of land and the buildings. They also presented the situation on the export of value-added products. They also asked for low-interest loans needed for investment in their businesses.
Then, SAC Chairman Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing responded to the presentations. He said, “Arrangements are underway to issue low-interest loans to MSMEs. The plots of land will also be granted to the Nay Pyi Taw MSMEs Office. Pyinmana abounds in bamboo plants, and so, people are felling bamboo plants indiscriminately, causing forest degradation. So, there is an utter need to do reforestation. People are found to be using bamboo more as food than as a product. If we can add value to bamboo products, using modern technologies, we can earn better income.
Afterwards, Union Ministers concerned gave explanations regarding the matters raised by the entrepreneurs. The SAC on its part has been providing necessary assistance.
Then, the Vice-Governor of the Central Bank of Myanmar discussed the issuance of loans for making investments, repayment of the loans and debt restructuring. Next, the Nay Pyi Taw Council Chairman explained how they are bringing about economic development amidst the dramatic difficulty.
Then, the SAC Chairman said among other things that if the trade deficit could be reduced, the national economic growth would be achieved, that a developing nation like Myanmar is required to boost investment in addition to the promotion of trade, that SAC is doing its utmost to reduce the foreign debts, that earning of foreign currency can be made through manufacturing and exporting of the agricultural and livestock breeding products and that as the rural people account for over 70 per cent of the country’s population, we are doing chiefly the businesses of agriculture and livestock breeding.
Next, matters concerning the development of the Nay Pyi Taw Council Area were discussed. The SAC Chair emphasized the need to fully utilize natural resources in an environmental-friendly manner. Next, he explained the reasons for the price hike, saying, “Rise in prices of the commodities can be attributed to higher costs of production. It also happens when the supply and demand are not in equilibrium. It is necessary to be aware that the price hike can adversely affect national security as well as the peace and stability of the State. It need not forget that there have been political uprisings caused by the sky-high prices of commodities.”
If we can boost agricultural production, we can obtain the raw materials for cultivation. And if we can manufacture quality products and use quality packaging, we can boost our export. If we can manufacture personal goods domestically, we need not import them. This is the reason why I am encouraging import substitution industrialization. Regarding electricity, the Prime Minister said that attention should be paid to the production of solar power, that care is needed to be taken not to waste water, that loans will be issued in accordance with the rules and regulations and that collective effort should be exerted to effectuate the national economic development.
Lastly, the Senior General emphasized the development of human resources before giving good news that Nay Pyi Taw State Academy will be opened in the not-distant future.
Then, SAC Chairman Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing accompanied by those attending the ceremony went round the value-added products exhibited by the MSMEs in Nay Pyi Taw Area.—MNA
