13 May
BILATERAL border trade stood at over US$19 million as of 26 April in the current 2018-2019 Fiscal year which saw a slight decrease of $1.87 million or 8.8 per cent, from the correspond-ing period last year, according to the Ministry of Commerce’s trade report.
At this time last FY, Myan-mar-Bangladesh trade through border gates was pegged at $21.29 million, with exports worth $20.27 million and imports amounting to $1.02 million.
When compared with last FY, this FY saw a decrease in value of exports by $7.87 million, however, the bilateral imports rose by nearly $6 million. Be-tween 1 October and 26 April, Myanmar exported $12.4 million worth of domestic products to Bangladesh and imported goods valued at over $7 million from the South Asian country.
Normally, Myanmar’s ex-ports to Bangladesh surplus its imports in bilateral border trade.
In bilateral border trade, goods are delivered mainly through two border gates—Sit-tway and Maungtaw.
In nearly seven months, trade via the Sittway gate to-talled $14.38 million, with $7.4 million in exports and $6.97 mil-lion in imports, while trade from the Maungtaw gate exceeded $5 million, including $0.04 million in imports.
Marketable goods at the Myanmar-Bangladesh borders contain bamboos, ginger, pea-nuts, saltwater prawns and fish, dried plums, garlic, rice, mung beans, blankets, candy, plum jams, footwear, frozen foods, chemicals, leather, jute prod-ucts, tobacco, plastics, wood, knitwear and beverages.
According to the ministry’s annual statistical data, the total border trade with Bangladesh was over $29 million in the 2017-2018 FY. According to the annual statistical report of the ministry, the bilateral borders trade was $3.83 million in 2012-2013 FY, $22.8 million in 2013-2014 FY, $14.3 million in 2014-2015 FY, $11.5 million in 2015-2016 FY, $1.6 million in 2016-2017 FY.—Swe Nyein (Translated by Khaing Thanda Lwin)
