CNI News

12 October 2024

Illegal imports hurt both official businesses and the country's economy, said Vice Sr-Gen Soe Win, vice chairman of the State Administration Council. 

He said the above   at the co-ordination meeting of the anti-illegal trade leading committee (4/2024) on 9th October 2024.

" As a result of illegal imports, legal businesses are finding it difficult to exist for long because they can't compete on prices. So, official businessmen don't want to expand their businesses. In the end, domestic production industries can suspend." he said.

And then if the businessmen within the country could not grow, national economic objectives could be damaged; agricultural productivity, national productivity, trade and commerce could be damaged, he added.

In the same way, as illegal businesses became stronger, the stability of commodity price could be damaged in the domestic market, said Vice Senior General Soe Win.

While commodities were being delivered (Photo-Myat Pan/Myanmar Now)

" The main challenge for the emergence of illegal trade is that there are security limitations in some border areas; there are some weaknesses in some legal affairs; the number of government staff is not sufficient for the anti-illegal trade activities and there are corruptions. So, it is necessary to prevent those things." he said.

Illegal trade value seized was 300.028 billion kyats from January 2022 to August 2024. Among those seized from July and August, the custom department was able to seize the most.  Most illegal trade was seized in Mandalay Region and second most, in Sagaing Region and third most, in Kachin State.

Motor vehicles with no license and motor vehicles carrying illegal commodities were arrested most and second most, raw materials and third most, products for investment, stated the SAC.