Export and import licence fees and related service fees are to be waived while road repair on the Myawady road section is being undertaken, according to the export/import news bulletin (14/2023) released by the Trade Department under the Ministry of Commerce on 18 August.
Torrential rain destroyed some road sections on Myawady, which is a major trade channel between Myanmar and Thailand and road repair is underway.
To ensure smooth trade, the exporters are entitled to move to some Myanmar-Thailand border posts after receiving export licences for the goods. If they want to change the transport mode to maritime shipment, the authority will greenlight it as well, as per the Trade Department’s notification released on 9 August.
The related departments have drawn up the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to perform the operations properly. The businesses will be processed under the SOPs accordingly.
The fee waiver period is effective during Myawady road repair works. The eligible traders engaged in the Myawady border will be exempt from licence renewal fee and service fee (K5,000) for the licence amendment procedure on Tradenet 2.0 platform, registration fee (K5,000), licence expired fee import licence fee (from K30,000 to K90,000) during that period.
There are six border checkpoints for Myanmar-Thailand trade; Tachilek, Myawady, Kawthoung, Myeik, Hteekhee and Mawtaung. Of them, Hteekhee performed the largest trade value, followed by the Myawady border.
Myanmar conducts border trade with neighbouring Thailand, China, Bangladesh and India.
Agricultural produce, livestock products, fisheries, minerals, forest products, finished industrial goods and other goods are exported to the neighbouring countries while it imports capital goods, intermediate goods, consumer goods and raw materials by the enterprises working on a CMP basis. — NN/EM
