FOLLOWING the major earthquake that occurred in Mandalay on 28 March 2025, various recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction efforts have emerged gradually. As a result, the demand for iron and steel materials in the construction sector has been increasing day by day. To meet the increasing demand for iron and steel, production is being supplemented not only through imports but also by maximizing outputs from both state-owned and privately owned iron and steel factories.
Across the country, various construction sectors are active, with major projects such as large bridges and buildings being implemented with great effort. Since steel and iron materials are essential for constructing roads, bridges, and buildings, both the government and private sectors are striving to ensure a balance between production and consumption. Moreover, efforts are underway to promptly complete the repairs of buildings and bridges that were damaged by the major Mandalay earthquake, leading to an increasing demand for steel and iron.
The steel production industry is an essential sector for the nation, and as a factory, it is necessary to continue systematically producing items such as tower poles and bridge steel frames. Since deformed bars are especially needed for construction projects, efforts must be made to ensure sufficient domestic production. If construction steel continues to be imported annually, it will lead to significant financial expenditures for the country. Therefore, it is important to systematically extract and utilize the available domestic iron resources to achieve self-sufficiency in production.
To promote the development of the iron and steel production industries and to meet the domestic demand for steel in the construction sector, it is necessary to support local steel manufacturing businesses. It is essential not only to meet the required quantity but also to ensure quality standards. Therefore, efforts must be made to encourage and assist entrepreneurs to invest in the iron and steel production industry by joining hands with the government to enhance production capacity.
As such, it is necessary to produce steel billets, which will then enable the production of deformed bars for use in the construction industry. It is also necessary to continue efforts to upgrade the existing domestic steel factories. During inspections of buildings that collapsed or were damaged during the recent major earthquake in Mandalay, it was found that some of the steel used in construction did not meet quality standards. This serves as an important lesson for the construction sector. Therefore, it is essential to produce high-quality construction-grade steel to ensure strong and durable structures.
