Exports to Burma are expected to grow significantly this year, thanks to Rangoon lifting a decade-old import ban on 15 products from Thailand, the Trade Negotiations Department reported.

Thailand will be able to export unconditionally to Burma monosodium glutamate, syrup, soft drinks, biscuits, gum, cake, wafers, canned food, instant noodles, chocolate, alcoholic beverages, beer, cigarettes, plastic products and fresh fruits.

Srirat Rastapana, director-general of the department, said that after numerous appeals to the Burmese government, its Commerce Ministry recently agreed to allow the imports. It had banned those products because of concern over consumers' health and domestic enterprises. It allowed import of some of the products only to serve foreign travellers in hotels and restaurants.

Srirat said the lifting of the restrictions was good news for Thai exporters as these products are in high demand among Burmese consumers.

Despite the controls on these 15 products, they managed to rack up a Burma-bound export value of Bt7.7 billion last year, mainly from trade across border checkpoints.
Total Thai exports to Burma grew 19.22 per cent to Bt33.95 billion in the first five months this year. Last year, exports to that country were up by 24.65 per cent to Bt65.6 billion.

Previously, the Burmese government also lifted an import ban on 11 Thai fruits. These were apple, pear, grape, cherry, monkey apple, orange, durian, rambutan, mangosteen, guava, and Southern langsat.

Srirat said Thailand was seeking more export opportunity for construction materials, as Burma had high demand for such products to serve its rapid growth.