Imphal, September 23 2010: A 25-member trade delegation from Manipur which had gone to Myanmar in connection with increasing the trade volume of the ongoing Indo-Myanmar border trade has returned with positive feedbacks.

Talking to mediapersons in connection with the visit of the trade delegation, Principal Secretary of Commerce and Industries, O Nabakishore informed that the trade delegation comprising 20 non-officials and 5 officials was led by MLA Bijoy Koijam and visited Myanmarese cities like Yangon and Mandalay from September 13 to 16 with the main objective of enhancing the border trade between India and Myanmar.

The delegation also participated in the North Eastern India and Myanmar Conclave, 2010.Nabakishore recalled that the border trade between India and Myanmar has been going on since 1995.But the number of trade items is so limited that there has been only one year in which the trade volume crossed the Rs 65 crores mark.

In the previous year it was only Rs 30 crores.

Therefore, after the return of the trade delegation from Myanmar, an 11-point representation on the action required to be taken by the two neighbouring countries on increasing the volume of the trade through the Land Customs Station at Moreh has been submitted to the Ambassador of Myanmar who had recently come to Manipur as part of the team of ASEAN Ambassadors, the Principal Secretary of the Commerce and Industries informed.

The copy of the same representation has also been submitted to the Minister of Commerce and Industries of Manipur, he added.

Some of the main points highlighted in the representation include conversion of the ongoing border trade into normal trade, increasing the number of trade items, improvement of road infrastructure on both sides of the country to facilitate traffic movement, creation of infrastructures on both sides of border to allow smooth movement of goods, restoration of peace and tranquillity at border area so that trading can take place without hindrance, an agreement between Myanmar and India on market rate for conversion of rupee into Kyat and vice versa as the official rate of Kyat is different from market rate, operationalisation of Letter of Credit facility between United Bank of India and Myanmar Economic Bank through euro/Singapore dollar at the conversion rate of Indian rupee, exchange of more trade delegations, frequent meetings of the officials of Myanmar and India to resolve trade related problems, allowing transit facility to India by Myanmar for movement of goods to other ASEAN Nations and China through Moreh and introduction of service industry as import/export between Myanmar and India through Moreh.

The Principal Secretary also informed that the during their visit trade delegation had exerted pressures on the Myanmarese officials for exporting 30,000 metric tonne of rice to Manipur.

Dr Dhabali, Dr Kh Palin and president of Indo-Myanmar Border Trade Union Nabachandra who were also part of the trade delegation were also present during the press conference.

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