The government arranges to generate electricity from hydropower, solar power as well as small-scale atomic energy to sufficiently supply electricity to the entire people: Vice-Senior General

 

As any manufacturing cannot be done without electricity, businessper­sons in individuals or groups need to generate electricity from solar, wind power and diesel power on a manageable scale, said State Administration Council Vice-Chairman Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Commander-in-Chief (Army) Vice-Senior General Soe Win at a meeting with regional cabinet members and local au­thorities for MSME businesses in Yangon Region at the office of Yangon Region government yesterday morning.

Yangon Region Chief Min­ister U Soe Thein reported on the implementation of industrial zones.

Deputy Minister for Indus­try U Yin Maung Nyunt and Yan­gon Region Economic Minister U Myo Myint Aung reported on policy and guidance for MSMEs and the implementation of MSME businesses in the Yangon Region. Departmental officials also presented reports on the issuance of MSME member­ship cards, loans to those busi­nesspersons, and the building of an industrial zone database.

In his response to the re­ports, the Vice-Senior General said he met with them to know the progress of implementing the guidance of the Senior Gen­eral in his meeting with MSME groups on 3 October 2022 and to coordinate necessary measures. MSME businesses grasp 99 per cent of positions in the produc­tion of the State economy, playing an important role in the GDP of the country. The Vice-Senior General explained issuance of loans from the State Econom­ic Promotion Fund as much as possible for manufacturing, trad­ing, inputs and human resources which are basic of MSME busi­nesses, plans of seven ministries to conduct 198 kinds of short- and long-term courses for human resources development as a learning chance for those who have passed the middle school education, opening of THS, In­stitute of Agriculture, Institute of Animal Husbandry Science and GTI for those who have passed the matriculation examination, establishment of computer and technical universities in regions and states in the higher educa­tion sector, prioritizing products to ensure import substitute and increase export volume under the policy for manufacturing the finished products with the use of domestic raw materials, formation of the MSME agency in Yangon Region, and connec­tion of the agency with 11 rel­evant ministries, work assess­ment body, fund scrutiny body to submit reports to the work committee and the central com­mittee.

 

The Vice-Senior General continued to say that 14 districts need to pay back a large number of agricultural loans to the gov­ernment. They have to pay back the loan as quickly as possible. Only then, will the government be able to issue more loans to other needy persons and extend the business. So, it is necessary to organize the borrowers to pay back loans and demand the loans under the law.

With regard to the agricul­tural measures of the region, the Vice-Senior General noted that the number of rainy days and rainfalls in the region were not so different in 2020, 2021 and 2022. But, the main crops paddy and pulses and beans did not meet the target in all townships and per-acre yield did not meet the target either. Hence, they have to strive for increasing the per-acre yield of the existing farmlands instead of expanding the sown acreage. It is necessary to take care of using quality strains of crops, systematic use of fertiliz­ers and inputs, supply of water to have the necessary volume and applying the correct agri­cultural techniques. Moreover, officials need to share awareness of GAP with the farmers so as to penetrate Myanmar agricultural produce into the international market.

The Vice-Senior General expressed his satisfaction with the formation of cooperative societies. As 974 manufacturing cooperative societies, 911 trad­ing cooperative societies and 649 service cooperative societies, to­talling 2,534, have been formed to operate businesses, they all need to make concerted efforts to secure greater success.

As Myanmar is a country producing rice as the main crop, the Prime Minister has explained that the farmlands cannot be uti­lized in other ways. Likewise, the industrial zones were estab­lished for manufacturing, not for residential housing. In addition, the country at present does not have sufficient electricity. So, the government arranges gen­erating electricity from hydro­power, solar power as well as small-scale atomic energy to suf­ficiently supply electricity to the entire people. At present, as any manufacturing cannot be done without electricity, businessper­sons in individuals or in groups need to generate electricity from solar, wind power and diesel pow­er on a manageable scale. So, the agency needs to coordinate necessary measures for them.

 

The Vice-Senior General underscored that MSMEs are to be operated not for purpose of export but it needs to empha­size domestic use to meet the demands of medium and heavy industries. Only when trade and expo must be joined for MSME businesses will trade arrange the market promotion so as to improve the sales. Hence, the MSME show and contest must be held in conjunction with the trade expo in the future.

In the afternoon, the Vice-Senior General visited the FAME pharmaceutical factory, OK canned and dried noodle factory, Htoo Thit fish/shrimp feedstuff factory, fish meal facto­ry and TOP cashew nut factory in Hlinethaya Township. — MNA