27 November
A number of tangible and intangible arts from the 11th century are still being preserved in Myanmar. At present, Myanmar’s arts and crafts industry is under threat due to shortage of skilled labor and a drop in demand from home and abroad.
Before 2010, Myanmar lacquerware were produced in abundance, and they had a place in the international market. But in recent years, there has been a significant decline in the export volume of lacquerware. In addition, there has been a rise in lower-priced, fake lacquerware entering Myanmar, which can have a negative impact on the local lacquerware market. Bagan lacquerware products have not been able to enter the international market due to lack of stable demand.
Likewise, handicrafts made of rattan and bamboo are only being sold in the local market. The industry is facing difficulties when it comes to manufacturing high-end products and penetrating international markets.
Efforts are being made to develop the handicraft industry under a four-year project (from 2018 to 2022) with the aim of drumming up global demand.
In accordance with the basic principle of the small and medium enterprises promotion law, the Union Government is working on establishing the Myanmar Arts and Craft Centre, as part of efforts to find an export market for Myanmar arts and crafts.
In connection with this, lifting or waiving the tax imposed on small-scale businesses, working with less than 10 workers, should be considered as one of the options to speed up the efforts as the handicrafts market has been cooling and the burden of taxation has increased.
At the same time, the organizations concerned need to review the strengths and weaknesses of Myanmar arts and crafts.
We need to promote hand-made products, use innovation to produce souvenirs to household utensils, and improve packaging to meet international standards.
Myanmar’s bamboo forests, which are the main source of raw materials for hand-made products, are the largest in the world, after China and India.
Holding workshops and conferences and participating in international fairs would help gain market share.
It is a certainty that demand from local and foreign markets would revive production of hand-made goods and create jobs for the people.
While our neighbors have made significant headways in the industry for hand-made products, we needs to make efforts to penetrate the international market.
GNLM
