CNI News
30 June 2026
Although the economic development of Myanmar is included in the policies of the President, the respective sectoral ministers, and the political parties from the election period, business owners and the general public are questioning which specific sectors will be implemented to boost the economy given the country's current situation.
Business owners point out that while international investments are being invited, starting businesses remains difficult due to domestic transportation challenges and regional instability.
Economic analyst U Thet Zaw told CNI News that although the Union government is prioritizing Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to boost domestic production, the prevailing centralization in import, export, and other business operations acts as a barrier to national economic development.
He said, "Even though international investments are invited, starting operations will still be difficult and will take time. Regarding what can be done domestically, I see efforts to promote MSMEs. However, there are many sectors and aspects that need to be addressed for MSMEs to grow. There is a lot to discuss. Another point is that our country's products must reach a level where they are competitive internationally. Only then can we rely on income from exports. The problem is that centralized control in our country has strengthened again, bringing everything under a centralized system. When both the trade system and financial flows are centralized, there is no freedom of management. As long as there is no freedom of management, the country's economic development will continue to lag."
A view of Yangon.
Economic analysts point out that although various sectors such as agriculture, import-export, hospitality and tourism, and foreign investment exist to drive economic development, a favorable business environment is essential for these sectors to thrive.
Furthermore, in the agricultural sector, although the state provides agricultural loans to farmers at low-interest rates, farmers face difficulties due to the lack of markets.
Therefore, to ensure that farming producers profit and production increases, the government needs to sign government-to-government (G2G) trade agreements. Additionally, systematic floor prices need to be set to prevent traders from depressing prices, U Thein Aung, former Chairman of the Farmers' Development Association, told CNI News.
He said, "The government needs to systematically establish basic floor prices. Furthermore, it is necessary to find new markets. Instead of relying solely on traders, the government itself needs to help secure markets by establishing G2G connections, such as signing agreements with Japan, or for rice, signing with countries like the Netherlands and Poland."
During the era of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), four economic objectives were laid down: development of agriculture as the base and all-round development of other sectors of the economy as well; proper evolution of the market-oriented economic system; development of the economy inviting participation in terms of technical know-how and investments from sources inside the country and abroad; and the initiative to shape the national economy must be kept in the hands of the State and the national peoples.
Basic day-wage laborers seen together.
However, detailed policies did not follow these four economic objectives, and there is a need to genuinely move toward a proper market economic system, U Htay Aung Kyi, an economic and banking analyst, told CNI News.
He said, "During the SLORC era, there were four economic objectives. Honestly speaking, those four objectives were good. But the problem was that detailed implementation plans did not follow them. If we are to properly develop a market economic system, a crony class cannot exist. A market must function according to market mechanisms. Of course, this requires a deep and thorough understanding of economics."
Currently, businesses are facing difficulties due to financial restrictions issued by the Central Bank regarding import-export businesses and financial services, which in turn causes hardships for consumers.
Therefore, economic analysts point out that the government needs to systematically study and reform economic orders, notifications, and policies when issuing them.
