Jade entrepreneurs have united to submit a signed proposal to the Union Government to suspend jade mining and jade exports with the aim of creating a domestic jade market and promoting the market, said U Than Win from Pwint Kaung jade trading.
Over 20,000 jade businessmen from Mandalay, Sagiang and Pharkant signed the proposal and the jade businessmen held a press conference regarding this on 16th August.
“There is no domestic market of jade. However, the jade market is growing in China. If the jade market continues in its present form, it will come to an end in 2 years. We would like to create a jade market only at the Nay Pyi Taw Mani Yadana Jade Museum because it can earn more revenue and can enable the jade market to raise its head again,” U Than Win said.
Myanmar jade stones are mined in Pharkant, and there is an illegal export of jade stone through Myitkyina. The quality jade stones are not found in the domestic market. Therefore, they all have to unite to request the Union Government to halt the jade mining and jade export, he continued.
There is a large quantity of Myanmar jade stones in the China market because the raw jade stones are illegally taken into China through Laning zar, Myitkyina. Therefore, the Chinese merchants do not have to come down to Mandalay and Sagaing. As a result of this, the local jade market ends in vain, said U Aung Win Oo from the Diamond Gold Star jewellery Company.
A suspension of jade mining in 2012 resulted in the tripling of the price at local jade market. However, jade mining companies aggressively mined jade using machinery in 2014 and evaded the taxation. The domestic jade market suffers from the illegal trade via border areas, it is learnt.
The local jade entrepreneurs are badly affected from the unlimited jade mining and illegal trade. There are hundreds of thousands of locals who are dependent only on the jade market, said U Aung Win Oo.
The signed proposals will be submitted to the State Counsellor office, the Commission on Legal Affairs and Special Cases Assessment, the natural resource and environmental conservation committee of Pyithu Hluttaw and Mandalay regional government, it is learnt.
Source: The Global New Light Of Myanmar
