The government has set a target of earning US$129 million (K192.9 billion) from the combined sales of teak and hardwood for the current fiscal year, says U Khin Mung Kyi, deputy general manager of Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE). The target figure was due to lower income and reduced timber production in the previous fiscal year, […]
Timber production halved
August 13, 2019 by
The Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE) will halve the annual limit for logging teak and hardwood from natural forests in 2019-20, producing just enough timber to meet production costs, U Ohn Win, Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, said yesterday. He added that logging will be restricted to trees aged 30 years and above in […]
Loopholes in Myanmar’s Forest Sector Cost Govt Million in Revenue
July 24, 2019 by
YANGON—Internationally known for forestry products such as teak, timber extraction in Myanmar is lucrative. The website of the Myanmar Timber Enterprise (MTE) boasts that the “forestry sector in Myanmar is one of the major contributors to the national economy.” A new report from the Myanmar Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (MEITI) reveals that the forest sector […]
Myanmar Timber Enterprise targets higher sales, commercial restructuring
May 3, 2018 by
State-owned Myanmar Timber Enterprise (MTE) is targeting sales of 5,000 tonnes of teak and 100,000 tonnes of hard wood during the six-month period between April and October this year. The sales are expected to generate K63 billion in revenues, MTE deputy general manager U Khin Maung Kyi told The Myanmar Times. Sales will be conducted […]
Timber auctions temporarily suspended as illegal trading rises
January 15, 2018 by
Auctions for timber rejected by the Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE), which are conducted by the Forest Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, have been suspended since December 29, ministry officials confirmed. The auctions, which are typically held across the regions and states, have been temporarily suspended in an attempt to control […]
MIC Suspends New Investments in Timber Businesses
November 28, 2017 by
Permission for to start new timber-based businesses will be temporarily suspended in Myanmar, the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) said in a November 16 statement, which was made public by the Directorate of Investment and Companies Administration (DICA) this week. To preserve the country’s forests and limit illegal logging activities, the MIC will temporarily stop issuing […]
Local log exporters concerned about foreign competition
October 10, 2017 by
LOG exporting businesses in Myanmar have requested the government to hold tenders only open to domestic log traders. Log merchants have called for the Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE), which is under the Ministry of Resource and Environmental Conservation, to hold separate tenders for local wood-based industry merchants engaging in the business of exporting logs of […]
Timber industry faces challenges in the voluntary partnership agreement process in forest governance
August 3, 2017 by
“The government has concerns and the fact that is does not have the trust of multiple stakeholders is a challenge for the process. “Every change implies sacrificing the interests of certain people, or things, for a certain time but it will be a benefit in the long run, resulting in a sustainable enterprise,” he said. […]
Environmental Agency Praises Danish Divestment from Burmese Teak
March 28, 2017 by
RANGOON – An international environmental NGO, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), has said it welcomed the Danish authorities’ ruling banning Burmese teak from its markets. The decision was the second such move from Scandinavia, following a similar Swedish ruling last November. Danish authorities ruled on Monday, March 13 that injunctions be placed on all […]
