Myanmar explores trade
possibilities in NE India

Nava Thakuria in Guwahati

The Mayanmar trade delegation had a fruitful visit to the Northeast Indian states inspiring hopes for a better trade ties between the two sides. The delegation entered India through Moreh in Manipur and departed via Champhai in Mizoram.
   The visit appears significant for reasons more than one. The 31-member delegation comprising Myanmar government officials, leaders of different chambers and traders and came to India primarily for exploring trade possibilities with the region. However, their visit emerged as a major opening for not only bilateral trade but also people to people contacts between India and Myanmar.
   The weeklong visit of the delegates started on February 28. It was the first business delegation from Myanmar to visit NE India since India and Myanmar signed trade agreement in January 1994. The agreement came into effect in April the following year.
   The agreement initiated border trade facilities through two points namely Moreh-Tamu and Champhai-Rih. Meanwhile, both the governments have set a target of $ 1 billion trade in 2006-07 while their bilateral trade in the FY2005-06 totaled $570 million.
    "The lower level of trade at Moreh was prompted by many factors like lack of proper information about the market, currency problem in Myanmar and also deteriorating law and order situation in Manipur," said an Indian trader based at Moreh. He was of course optimistic about the initiatives of Myanmar government in disseminating information and the measures taken by the Indian Commerce Ministry in recent past.
   In his recent visit to Northeast, the union minister of state for commerce Jairam Ramesh said that an integrated check post will be developed at Moreh to manage both cargo and passenger movement across the border. The project with a budget of Indian Rs 70 crore is expected to provide modern infrastructure facilities and better connectivity.
   In Manipur, the Myanmar delegates met a number of government officials and businessmen.
   The team members had more sessions in Asom, where they interacted with local entrepreneurs and trade bodies in Guwahati. The team also visited the 14th International Guwahati Trade Fair, where some entrepreneurs from Myanmar participated. The trade fair (February 26- March 9), organized by the Industries and Trade Fair Association of Assam (ITFAA), and was participated by a number of traders from Thailand, Indonesia, Egypt, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.
   Earlier the team that included three government officials namely Thaung Kyaw, deputy director of directorate of border trade, Tha Ra, deputy general manager of Myanma Economy Bank and Aung Min, director of life stock breeding had successful discussions with relevant people. The powerful students body of Northeast, All Assam Students' Union with Asom Unnati Sabha representatives had a meeting with the delegation in Guwahati. Student leader Samujjal Bhattacharya welcomed the delegation to the Northeast and emphasized on development of sustainable trade relationship with Myanmar. He also urged the delegates to support the recent initiatives by different organizations in Asom to reopen the historic Stilwell road impressing upon their government in Pyinmana (new capital of Myanmar).
   The Second World War-famed road originates at Ledo in Asom and crosses through the Pangsau pass in Myanmar finally reaching Kunming, the capital of China's Yunnan province in the south. Like many others, the student body also looks at the road as a means for improving trade between India and Southeast Asian countries including Myanmar. The major portion of the 1726-kilometer road lies within Myanmar (1,033 km) with 632 km in China and a small stretch in India (61 km). Unfortunately, the road inside Myanmar is not developed and in many places the road becomes almost unusable.
   "We have decided to work together in boosting bilateral trade between Northeast (India) and Myanmar involving more entrepreneurs and concerning trade bodies," said ITFAA secretary Rajeev Das, who is one of the signatories in the MoU.
   It may be mentioned that India has increased its development assistance to Myanmar from Indian Rs. 44.57 crore in 2006-07 to Rs. 80.41 crore in 2007-08.

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M. Ataul Hoque

At a recent press conference the President of FBCCI has questioned the legality of the recent raids by the law enforcing authorities against illegal hoardings of essential consumer products by the unscrupulous traders in the country. He demanded a policy guideline from the government regarding the time limit for hoarding of these merchandise.
   I do not know what kind of policy guideline the FBCCI Chief was asking for illegal hoarding. Does he wants policy guideline for storage of rotten rice, rotten wheat, rotten fertilizer, or outdated milk powder, decomposed dates etcetera stored for adulteration? What does his conscience says? In all such raids the law enforcing agencies detected huge stock of food grains, fertilizer etcetera stored apparently with ulterior motive of creating artificial shortage in the market for raising the price superficially at the expense of the poor consumers.
   Moreover the huge stock of rotten and outdated goods found were being used by the traders to adulterate the goods and the poor public had to consume those which are extremely health hazardous. How one can imagine of keeping milk powder bags and wheat bags side by side with fertilizer bags and bags of cement? These are absolutely criminal acts and the offender should get highest form of punishment as per law.
   However, it is surprising that, the FBCCI Chief did not, even for a single moment, regretted or raised objection for such illegal hoarding of essential products for selling at a very high price in the market through illegal syndication. He should have asked explanation from his fellow colleagues in the business as to why such a huge quantity of adulterated products were stored in the warehouses and for what purpose. Does he now require policy guideline to legalize those illegal activities of his comrades? However, for the knowledge of the FBCCI Chief, I would like to state that: yes, there are clearcut policy guidelines in place on storage of merchandise in warehouses. The British colonialists while leaving left us one of the finest sets of laws. Unfortunately what is lacking in our country is the application of the law. We are very much used in the habit of ignoring or flouting law and getting away with it. This situation has to be stopped now.
   I would, therefore, ask the FBCCI Chief to draw policy guideline for his fellow colleagues to become honest businessmen first, instead of asking for policy guideline from the authorities to legalize their illegal business activities.

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