Myanmar study aims for sugar output

The Myanmar Sugarcane Dealers Association is planning soon to study sugarcane plantations and sugar production in Thailand, an official from the association said last week.

“[The study] will probably be during the end of January. Our plans were submitted to the ministry concerned. The study group will have more than 30 members. Officials from sugar mills, farmers and members of small, medium and large industries will be included in the group,” U Soe Lin, chairman of the Myanmar Sugarcane Dealers Association told The Myanmar Times.


The study will take about one week, he added.

Officials from the Thai government said the study will cover sugarcane cultivation, harvesting, transportation, crushing and also sugar refining.

There are about 50 sugar refineries currently in operation in Thailand. The country produces about ten million tonnes of sugar per year. Local consumption is over two million tonnes per year, while Thailand exports over seven million tonnes per year.

“Myanmar only produces 380,000 tonnes of sugar annually. The reason that the output from Thailand is different despite the fact that we border each other is because of a difference in investment and policy,” U Soe Lin said.

“Thailand uses mechanised farming. The state invests money in their big factories. The output turns out well because of high calibre machinery and good farming techniques,” he added.

There are 21 sugar mills in Myanmar, and 19 are currently in operation. A total of 30,000 tonnes of sugar is produced per day, which is sufficient for domestic consumption.

source: The Myanmar Times
http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/business/3715-study-aims-for-sugar-output.html