Establishment of Trade Council

In 1964, wholesale shops, broker houses, companies, department stores and warehouses all over the country were nationalised. In 1965, the Trade Council was established and the following trade organisations were set up under the Ministry of Trade:

• Central trade
• 22 trade corporations
• 14 state/divisional trade offices
• 283 township trade offices
• 1942 people's shops

In 1976, in accordance with the economic policy of the Burma Socialist Programme Party the trade organisations were reformed as follows:

• Department of Trade
• 11 trading corporations and their divisional/branch offices, factories/workshops
• 14 state/divisional trade offices

New establishments after 1988

To be in line with the changing economic system, in 1989 the Department of Trade was changed to the Directorate of Trade with extended functions and responsibilities. In 1989–90 the following domestic and foreign joint ventures were set up and operated:

Re-organisational activities under the Ministry of Commerce

Since 1998, six trading organisations and two service enterprises under the Ministry of Commerce have been abolished. Domestic and foreign joint ventures were also abolished except Myanmar Citizens' Bank Ltd. and Myanmar Inspection and Testing Services Ltd.

The Ministry of Commerce created a motto of Advance Forward Through Commerce and it has been conducting various activities for the development of the national economy. The Ministry of Commerce has also restructured the following departments to be in line with the adopted market-oriented economy since 1 April 1998:

• Office of the Minister
• Directorate of Trade
• Department of Border Trade
• Myanma Agricultural Produce Trading

Vision

• To further strengthen the existing friendship between the two countries
• To promote border trade between the two countries putting it in line with normal trade
• To get the reasonable revenue for the state
• To facilitate private business activities thereby allowing them to acquire reasonable profits
• To enhance the smooth flow of commodities

Mission

• To increase the volume of trade year after year
• To get the targeted revenue fully
• To be free from corruption

Official border trade points

Unofficial border trade points

Organisation

The managing director is the head of MAPT. Under Myanmar Agricultural Produce Trading (MAPT), there were the following departments:

• Paddy and Rice Department
• Pulse Beans & Other Crops Department
• Milling, Engineering, Bran Oil Mail & Project Department
• Export Department
• Movement Department
• Planning & Finance Department
• Administration Department
• Inspection Department
• State/Divisional Offices, District Offices and Township Offices

Within the organisational set-up of MAPT, there are 4 functional departments as follows:

Warehousing, Handling and Export Department, Grain Department, Milling, Engineering & Bran Oil Mills Department, and the Administration Department. The Post-harvest Technology Application Centre (PTAC) under MAPT undertakes post-harvest activities, research, development and extension (RDX) works especially including food grains, fruits and vegetables and issuance of certificates relating to the quality of crops and analytical results of chemical compositions, pesticide residue, aflatoxins etc.

MAPT renders its assistance to private sectors in the following activities:

• Extends its fullest co-operations relating to exports of grains and imports of commodity from abroad
• Assists to obtain the quick result relating to various laboratory test
• Provides necessary assistance for rice milling industry and oil processing industry

MAPT Operations

MAPT assists the in following steps relating to export business that are allowed by the state to the private sector, especially grains exports, the export of new commodities, and import business:

• Undertakes the various steps of the exporting business, commencing from searching the markets for export commodities to the final negotiation stage of the shipping documents
• Renders its services to make each processing step relating to import flow smoothly
• Undertakes all necessary steps relating to the shipment of export commodities
• Carries out rental services for warehouses if necessary
• Undertakes pest control services for grain storage
• Assists necessary work to producers to become successful exporters

MAPT undertakes the following activities relating to the inspection services of exported goods and imported goods:

• Conducts preshipment inspection of commodities for export and inspection of imported commodities relating to quality/specifications, quantity, weight, measurement, packing and marking, etc.
• Issues certificates of laboratory analysis and testing
• Conducts inspection and surveying services for exporters and importers with reasonable service charges for mutual benefits
• Undertakes laboratory analysis and testing of soil and water, quality of food grains and extends technical assistance on post-harvest technology

MAPT conducts services relating to analysis and testing of soil and water:

• Undertakes analysis relating to the physical quality of food grain; milling quality; fibre content; contents of dust, husk, sand and other admixture; contents of discoloured grains, etc.
• Undertakes analysis and testing of the qualities of food grain such as moisture content; composition of ash, protein, starch/carbohydrate; fibre and other chemical composition, etc.
• Undertakes analysis and testing for aflatoxin contamination
• Undertakes analysis and testing of quality of oil and oil crops, colour condition, specific gravity, oil colour test, cloud point, moisture content, fat, acidity, etc.
• Extends technical assistance on pest control services

MAPT undertakes the following services relating to the milling of rice, and construction and maintenance of rice mills:

• Follows rice milling activities for effective improvement in quality with reasonable affordable charges.
• Milling paddy to white rice
• Milling brown rice to white rice
• Remilling of rice
• Recleaning of rice and broken rice
• Milling paddy to brown rice
• Assists private entrepreneurs who wish to construct new rice mills, improving development of existing rice mills and maintenance of existing rice mills
• Manufactures and sells mobile and low-cost small rice mills
• Assists private sector with rice milling technology

MAPT undertakes the following services relating to edible rice bran oil mills:

• Conducts nrocorry of edible rice bran oil with reasonable charges.
• Removes the colour and odour from various types of edible oil and ensures purity of oil.
• Extracts oil from soyabeans, purifies raw palm oil and extracts oil from expelled cakes (groundnut cake, sesame cake) by using the chemical solvent extraction method.

MAPT undertakes the following machinery installation services to upgrade the quality of food grains:

• Cleans paddy machines and beans
• Dries paddy machines and other grains

MAPT also renders the following engineering services:

• Converts cars with diesel and petrol engines as well as LPG cars to the CNG system
• Conducts design services for modern and concentrated warehouse designs
• Conducts consultancy services relating to the drawing of building designs and estimating construction costs for rice mills and bran oil mills