Ministry of Commerce (Myanmar)

Last updated

Ministry of Commerce
စီးပွားရေးနှင့်ကူးသန်းရောင်းဝယ်ရေးဝန်ကြီးဌာန
Ministry of Commerce (Myanmar) seal.PNG
Agency overview
Formed1948
JurisdictionFlag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar
HeadquartersBuilding 3, Nay Pyi Daw, Myanmar
Employees5512
Minister responsible
Child agencies
  • Department of Trade
  • Department of Consumer Affairs
  • Myanma Trade Promotion Organization
Website www.commerce.gov.mm

The Ministry of Commerce (MOC) is the Burmese government agency plays a vital role in the transformation process of the implementation of a market-oriented economic system. Its headquarters is located at Building 3 and 52, Nay Pyi Taw, in Myanmar.

Contents

Departmental bodies

History

From the time of independence in 1948 up to 1962, foreign trade was conducted by the following boards and corporations:

Establishment of Trade Council

In 1964, wholesale shops, broker houses, companies, department stores and warehouses all over the country were nationalised. In 1965, the Trade Council was established and the following trade organisations were set up under the Ministry of Trade:

In 1976, in accordance with the economic policy of the Burma Socialist Programme Party the trade organisations were reformed as follows:

New establishments after 1988

To be in line with the changing economic system, in 1989 the Department of Trade was changed to the Directorate of Trade with extended functions and responsibilities. In 1989–90 the following domestic and foreign joint ventures were set up and operated:

Domestic joint ventures

  • Joint Venture Corporation No. 1 Ltd.
  • Joint Venture Corporation No. 2 Ltd.
  • Joint Venture Corporation No. 3 Ltd.
  • Joint Venture Corporation No. 4 Ltd.
  • Joint Venture Corporation No. 5 Ltd.
  • Joint Venture Corporation No. 6 Ltd.
  • Joint Venture Corporation No. 7 Ltd.
  • Joint Venture Corporation No. 8 Ltd.
  • Joint Venture Corporation No. 9 Ltd.
  • Northern Shan State JV Co., Ltd.
  • Myanmar Citizens' Bank Ltd.

Foreign joint ventures

  • Myanmar Rice Engineering Co., Ltd.
  • Myanmar Malaysia International Ltd.
  • Myanmar Motor Ltd.
  • Myanmar Singapore International Ltd.
  • Myanmar Borneo Ltd.
  • Myanmar Inotech Ltd.
  • Myanmar Chan Ltd.
  • Myanmar Tokyo Maruichi International Ltd.
  • Myanmar Natsteel Hardware Ltd.
  • Myanmar Inspection and Testing Services

In 1992, the Hotel and Tourism Corporation was upgraded to ministry-level and the relevant organisations, the Foodstuff and Beverages Enterprise and Hotel and Tourism Services were transferred to the Ministry of Hotel and Tourism. In 1993 the Company Registration Office, Companies Control Department and the international Organisation Sections (GATT/WTO) under the Directorate of Trade were transferred to the newly established ministry, the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development. In 1996 the Ministry of Trade was changed to the Ministry of Commerce with a view to implement economic activities for the development of the national economy. In 1996 the Ministry of Commerce established the Department of Border Trade and it currently has 10 branch offices at the borders of neighbouring countries. In 1997 the International Organisation Section, including WTO, was retransferred from the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development to the Ministry of Commerce.

Re-organisational activities under the Ministry of Commerce

Since 1998, six trading organisations and two service enterprises under the Ministry of Commerce have been abolished. Domestic and foreign joint ventures were also abolished except Myanmar Citizens' Bank Ltd. and Myanmar Inspection and Testing Services Ltd.

The Ministry of Commerce created a motto of Advance Forward Through Commerce and it has been conducting various activities for the development of the national economy. The Ministry of Commerce has also restructured the following departments to be in line with the adopted market-oriented economy since 1 April 1998:

Department of Trade

There were the following departments:

Department of Consumer Affairs

Department of Consumer Affairs was established on 1 April 2016. There were the following divisions:

Vision

Mission

Official border trade points

Border Trade PointsOpening DateArea
Muse (105) mile12 January 1998Myanmar-China
Lweje 23 August 1998Myanmar-China
Chinshwehaw 19 October 2003Myanmar-China
Laiza25 December 2003Myanmar-China
Techilelk 16 March 1996Myanmar-Thailand
Myawaddy 16 September 1998Myanmar-Thailand
Kawthoung 1 June 1996Myanmar-Thailand
Myeik 1 July 1999Myanmar-Thailand
Tamu 12 April 1996Myanmar-India
Rhi10 December 2003Myanmar-India
Sittwe 10 December 1998Myanmar-Bangladesh
Maungdaw 5 September 1995Myanmar-Bangladesh

Unofficial border trade points

Border Trade PointsArea
Pansan – MenglarMyanmar-China
Dawei Myanmar-Thailand
NeteinhtaungMyanmar-Thailand
MawtaungMyanmar-Thailand
Payathonsu (Three Pagodas)Myanmar-Thailand
Paletwa (Shalatwa) – PansungMyanmar-India

Myanmar Agricultural Produce Trading

Myanma Agricultural Produce Trading (MAPT) is a government organisation under the Ministry of Commerce.

MAPT has laid down the following six main objectives:

Organisation

The managing director is the head of MAPT. Under Myanmar Agricultural Produce Trading (MAPT), there were the following departments:

Within the organisational set-up of MAPT, there are 4 functional departments as follows:

Warehousing, Handling and Export Department, Grain Department, Milling, Engineering & Bran Oil Mills Department, and the Administration Department. The Post-harvest Technology Application Centre (PTAC) under MAPT undertakes post-harvest activities, research, development and extension (RDX) works especially including food grains, fruits and vegetables and issuance of certificates relating to the quality of crops and analytical results of chemical compositions, pesticide residue, aflatoxins etc.

MAPT renders its assistance to private sectors in the following activities:

MAPT Operations

MAPT assists the in following steps relating to export business that are allowed by the state to the private sector, especially grains exports, the export of new commodities, and import business:

MAPT undertakes the following activities relating to the inspection services of exported goods and imported goods:

MAPT conducts services relating to analysis and testing of soil and water:

MAPT undertakes the following services relating to the milling of rice, and construction and maintenance of rice mills:

MAPT undertakes the following services relating to edible rice bran oil mills:

MAPT undertakes the following machinery installation services to upgrade the quality of food grains:

MAPT also renders the following engineering services:

Ministers of Commerce

Related Research Articles

Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions that directly or indirectly contribute to the smooth, unhindered distribution and transfer of goods and services on a substantial scale and at the right time, place, quantity, quality and price through various channels from the original producers to the final consumers within local, regional, national or international economies. The diversity in the distribution of natural resources, differences of human needs and wants, and division of labour along with comparative advantage are the principal factors that give rise to commercial exchanges.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture; it maintains programs in five commodity areas: cotton and tobacco; dairy; fruit and vegetable; livestock and seed; and poultry. These programs provide testing, standardization, grading and market news services for those commodities, and oversee marketing agreements and orders, administer research and promotion programs, and purchase commodities for federal food programs. The AMS enforces certain federal laws such as the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act and the Federal Seed Act. The AMS budget is $1.2 billion. It is headquartered in the Jamie L. Whitten Building in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SGS S.A.</span> Swiss multinational company

SGS is a Swiss multinational company headquartered in Geneva, which provides inspection, verification, testing and certification services. Its 99,600 employees operate a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories worldwide. It ranked on Forbes Global 2000 in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department</span> Department of the Hong Kong Government

The Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department is the customs service of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The agency was established to protect Hong Kong from smuggling, ensure the collection of duties on taxable goods, detect and prevent drug trafficking and abuse, safeguard intellectual property rights, protect consumer interests, facilitate legitimate business and uphold Hong Kong's trade reputation, regulate money service operators and dealers in precious metals and stones, and combat money laundering and terrorist financing.

Seaboard Corporation is a diverse multinational agribusiness and transportation conglomerate with integrated operations in several industries. In the United States, the company mainly engages in pork production and processing and ocean transportation. Internationally, Seaboard is primarily engaged in commodity merchandising, grain processing, sugar production and electrical power generation. The parent company, Seaboard Corporation is based in the Kansas City suburb of Merriam, Kansas. Its subsidiaries include Seaboard Foods, Seaboard Marine, Seaboard Overseas & Trading Group (SOTG), Tabacal Agroindustria, Transcontinental Capital Corporation, Ltd. (TCCB), and Mount Dora Farms. It has 52.5% controlling interest in Butterball, LLC. Its principal operating divisions are pork, commodity trading and milling, marine, sugar, and power. More than 50% of the corporation is owned by members of its founding family, the Breskys.

The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) (Urdu: مشارکتِ پاکستان برائے امورِ تجارت) is a Pakistani state-owned commodity trading company, mainly responsible for export and import of commodities. It also issues tenders for export and import of agricultural products. TCP has its offices across various cities of the country including Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore and Multan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign trade of the Soviet Union</span> Overview of foreign trade in the Soviet Union

Soviet foreign trade played only a minor role in the Soviet economy. In 1985, for example, exports and imports each accounted for only 4 percent of the Soviet gross national product. The Soviet Union maintained this low level because it could draw upon a large energy and raw material base, and because it historically had pursued a policy of self-sufficiency. Other foreign economic activity included economic aid programs, which primarily benefited the less developed Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) countries of Cuba, Mongolia, and Vietnam.

The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) is a government agency responsible for governing and maintaining the standards and practices of metrology in Kenya. It was established by an Act of Parliament of Kenya's National Assembly, The Standard Act, and Chapter 496 of the Laws of Kenya. The Bureau started its operations in July 1974. It has main offices in Nairobi and regional offices throughout Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitsui & Co.</span> Japanese corporation

Mitsui & Co., Ltd. is one of the largest sogo shosha in Japan; it is part of the Mitsui Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broken rice</span> Fragments of rice grains

Broken rice is fragments of rice grains, broken in the field, during drying, during transport, or during milling. Mechanical separators are used to separate the broken grains from the whole grains and sort them by size.

Trade is a key factor of the economy of China. In the three decades following the dump of the Communist Chinese state in 1949, China's trade institutions at first developed into a partially modern but somewhat inefficient system. The drive to modernize the economy that began in 1978 required a sharp acceleration in commodity flows and greatly improved efficiency in economic transactions. In the ensuing years economic reforms were adopted by the government to develop a socialist market economy. This type of economy combined central planning with market mechanisms. The changes resulted in the decentralization and expansion of domestic and foreign trade institutions, as well as a greatly enlarged role for free market in the distribution of goods, and a prominent role for foreign trade and investment in economic development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India</span> Export credit provider in India

ECGC Limited is a government owned export credit agency of India. It is under the ownership of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, and is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It provides export credit insurance support to Indian exporters and banks. Its topmost official is designated as Chairman and Managing Director, who is a central government civil servant under Indian Trade Service (ITS) cadre.

The Ministry of Commerce ; abbreviated as MoCom), is a Cabinet-level ministry of the Government of Pakistan concerned with economic growth and commerce development and promotion in Pakistan. The administrative head of the ministry is the Commerce Secretary of Pakistan, presently Muhammad Sualeh Ahmad Faruqi. The political head, Minister of Commerce, is required to be the member of Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Grain Standards Act of 1916</span> United States federal law

The United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA) of 1916, as amended, authorizes the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration to establish official marketing standards for grains and oilseeds, and requires that exported grains and oilseeds be officially weighed and inspected. Domestically marketed grain and oilseeds may be, but are not required to be, officially inspected. Export inspections are carried out by federal inspectors or by federally supervised state inspection agencies, called delegated official inspection agencies. Official inspections of domestically traded grain is done by federally supervised state agencies and private companies, called designated official inspection agencies. Typically, marketing standards describe the physical characteristics of the commodity and serve as contract language to facilitate marketing. Official weighing and inspection is paid for on a fee-for service basis, not with federal funds. Major changes to the law were adopted in the USGSA Amendments of 1968, the USGSA of 1976, and the Grain Quality Improvement Act of 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MMTC Ltd</span> Foreign exchange company of primary and non-primary products based in India

MMTC Ltd. is one of the two highest earners of foreign exchange for India and India's largest public sector trading body. Not only handling the export and import of primary products such as coal, iron ore, agro and industrial products, MMTC also exports and imports important commodities such as ferrous and nonferrous metals for industry, and agricultural fertilizers. MMTC's diverse trade activities cover third country trade, joint ventures and link deals and all modern forms of international trading. The company has a vast international trade network, spanning almost in all countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, Oceania, and in the United States and also includes a wholly owned international subsidiary in Singapore, MTPL. It is one of the Miniratnas companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Commerce (Iran)</span>

The Ministry of Commerce of Iran was the main organ of the Government in charge of the regulation and implementation of policies applicable to domestic and foreign trade. This includes:

The Indian Trade Service (ITdS) is a civil service under Group A of the Central Civil Services of the executive branch of the Government of India. It was created as a specialized cadre to handle India's international trade and commerce on the basis of the recommendations of the Mathur Committee in 1965. At present, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, is the cadre controlling authority of the ITS. DGFT has 38 regional offices across India, and plays a significant role in promoting India's international trade with its policy formulation and implementation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MSTC Limited</span> Indian e-commerce company

MSTC Limited is a central public sector undertakings under the Ministry of Steel, Government of India. It is involved in diversified e-commerce services. Its corporate office is in Kolkata, West Bengal with regional branch offices in various other cities. The company reported a net profit of INR 112.95 crore for fiscal year 2020-21. Incorporated on 9 September 1964, MSTC has 344 employees.

Deshbandhu Group is a Bangladeshi diversified conglomerate based in Dhaka. Golam Mostafa is the Chairperson and Golam Rahman is the Managing Director of Deshbandhu Group. It headquarters in Mostafa Centre, Banani, is located inside a residential neighborhood.

Zaw Win Shein is a Burmese businessperson best known for founding Ayeyar Hinthar Holdings. He was born and raised in the Ayeyarwady Delta Region; Hinthada Township, which is Myanmar's main rice-producing region. At the age of 16, after his matriculation, Zaw Win Shein worked as an apprentice in his parents' agricultural products and rice export business. His father is U Thann Sein. Zaw Win Shein embarked on his business journey at 19, borrowing a few hundred thousand dollars from his parents to establish Seven Aluminium Company in 2006, addressing the scarcity of construction materials and quality aluminum fabrication in Myanmar. In 2007, he initiated Ayeyar Hinthar Trading Co., exporting high-quality rice and agricultural products, and capitalizing on government policy changes.

References

  1. "The Global New Light of Myanmar (20.8.2022)".