Industrial sector says policy details are needed to ensure economic zones grow
Poor infrastructure, low-quality or unreliable electricity supply, water shortages, inadequate transportation links, and ongoing disagreements with local residents affected by zone development are among the most serious problems developing the country’s industrial sector, experts say. But perhaps the biggest problem, they say, is the lack so far of any overarching government industrial development policy. Parliament should pass laws to promote industry and the SME sector, says U Myint Zaw, vice president of Myanmar Industrial Association. “We’ve had industrial zones for more than 30 years, but no industrial zone development law,” he told The Myanmar Times. “To develop industrial zones around the country, we need to enact specific legislation.” Despite the designation by governments from time to time of industrial zones, Myanmar still lags behind its ASEAN neighbours, he said.
