MSME products exhibition and competition was held in Ayeyarwaddy region to raise the quality of products and long-term competitiveness

Small and Medium Enterprises Development Committee (SMEDC) Chairman Vice President U Myint Swe attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition and display (2018) of Ayeyawady Region products produced by local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) held in the town hall, Pathein Town, Ayeyawady Region, yesterday morning.
Present at the ceremony were SMEDC Vice Chairman Union Minister U Khin Maung Cho, Ayeyawady Region Chief Minister U Hla Moe Aung, Region Hluttaw Speaker, representatives of Pyithu Hluttaw, Amyotha Hluttaw and Region Hluttaw, Deputy Minister, region ministers, Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) President and members, work committee members, departmental officials, technicians, experts, MSME business owners and officials. While addressing the ceremony, SMEDC Chairman Vice President U Myint Swe said this was the third MSME local regional products exhibition and competition being conducted, with the aim of developing MSMEs in Ayeyawady Region, raising the quality of products and long-term competitiveness.
The first exhibition and competition jointly organized by MSMEs from Mandalay Region and Kachin State was held in Mandalay on 23 February 2018. The second exhibition and competition jointly organized by MSMEs from Magway Region, Chin State and Rakhine State was held in Magway on 24 March 2018.
The third was being held in Ayeyawady Region and after this, exhibitions of MSME products and Regional Award competitions will continue to be held state- and region-wise. In the Regional Award competition, first, second and third prizes will be presented according to business sizes: micro, small and medium. At the final closing ceremony of the competition, winners of the Regional Awards will be presented with a union-level recognized Regional Award.
With regards to the economy, the State economic policy includes supporting and assisting MSMEs that create jobs and support economic development, in addition to the State privatizing enterprises that could be reformed. For the development of SMEs, an SME Development (SMED) central committee, a work committee, an SME agency, a work review reporting group and a fund management group were formed, and as per the duties and works of the groups, SMED was being conducted all over the country with increasing momentum. For the development of the 99 per cent of SMEs in the country, state- and region-wise SME agencies and SME loan assessment committees were formed with all stakeholders participating for the development of SMEs.

With the State conducting this sort of exhibition and competition, consumers could evaluate MSME products and MSMEs would know of the continuous efforts put in by other MSMEs, copy and imitate, promote creativity and innovation, cooperate with other related MSMEs along the whole supply chain, uncover the culture and traditional foods of ethnic nationals that are near extinction, enable cooperation and coordination among regions, resulting in them stepping up to reach international level.
As SMEs development agency meetings were being held during the current exhibition and competition period, practical assistance and support for the development of SMEs in the region could be done through discussions and coordination between stakeholders and MSME businesses.
SMEs needed to strive toproduce value-added products with international standard packing and designs. Furthermore, by conducting research, innovation and increasing of sales through cooperation with relevant departments, quality marketable products should be produced. Relevant departments would also assist and support in creating new markets.
In accordance with policies set up by the Union Government for SMED, all are obliged to strive for MSMEs to develop, thus creating job opportunities, raising the socio-economic life of the people and from expanding the local market, aim towards producing priority products for export, said the Vice President.
Later, SMEDC member Ayeyawady Region Chief Minister U Hla Moe Aung spoke about the exhibition and competition.
After this, SMEDC vice chairman Union Minister U Khin Maung Cho, Ayeyawady Region Chief Minister U Hla Moe Aung, and Deputy Minister U Aung Htoo accepted donations for the third exhibition and display of regional products produced by MSMEs and presented documents of honour to the donating companies.
Following the opening ceremony, the Vice President and party visited the exhibition. The third MSMEs products exhibition and competition is jointly organized by the Ayeyawady Region government and Ministry of Industry and will be held for three days.
At the exhibition and competition, 86 MSME owners are exhibiting and selling local products including traditional foods, drinks, beauty products, industry products, handicrafts, electrical and IT products in 161 booths.
After the event, the Vice President and party went to the Small & Medium Industrial Development Bank (SMIDB), Pathein branch, and attended the opening ceremony of the SME Centre and a ceremony on giving out agriculture loans.
From there, the Vice President and party went to the Forest Department, Myanmar Reforestation and Rehabilitation programme at 17 milepost of Pathein-Ngwesaung road and inspected the preparations being made to plant 350 acres of Pyinkado and saplings, where Forest Department Deputy Director General U Kyaw Kyaw Lwin provided the necessary explanations.
The Vice President and party then went to Ngwesaung elephant camp at 19 milepost of Pathein-Ngwesaung road where Myanma Timber Enterprise Managing Director U Saw John Shwe Ba spoke about the camp.
The Vice President commented that Ayeyawady Region and Rakhine State had many forest areas and was a place where the wild elephant population was the highest. The wild elephants were to be systematically maintained and contact with relevant departments and ministries needed to be made to prevent killing and poaching of wild elephants. The Vice President and party then fed the elephants and planted teak saplings in the camp.
Next, the Vice President and party went to the Aureum Palace Hotel at Ngwesaung Beach and attended the briefing and explanation on the status of managing coastal natural resources and the status of the hotel and travel sector development.
At the event, Ayeyawady Region Chief Minister U Hla Moe Aung, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Permanent Secretary Dr. Khin Zaw and Ministry of Hotels and Tourism Permanent Secretary U Yi Mon gave briefings. — Myanmar News Agency

(Global New Light of Myanmar: http://www.globalnewlightofmyanmar.com/msme-products-exhibition-launched-ayeyarwady-region/ )

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