The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry took a business delegation to Myanmar from 16th May to 20th May 2016.The delegation, led by the President Mr. Ambarish Dasgupta, visited Yangon, Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay. The Delegation comprised of industry representatives from West Bengal and Odisha.

The delegation members were:

The delegation met Union of Myanmar Federation Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) on 16th May 2016 in Yangon. The delegation was received by Ambassador Tint Swai, Chief Executive Officer. U Mg Mg Myint. Head of Department (IRD), UMFCCI was also present.Ambassador Tint Swai mentioned that Education and Healthcare sectors have immense opportunities in Myanmar. The institutions will have to showcase them well to attract business. Mr. Subhodip Ghosh, Director General Designate proposed whether UMFCCI and BCC&I may formally work together to create a permanent forum for mutual collaborations, information sharing and facilitation to each others’ members. A formal proposal will be submitted by BCC&I

The delegation met His Excellency U Ohn Maung, Hon’ble Minister of Hotels and Tourism, The Republic of the Union of Myanmar and Mr. Tint Thwin, Director General, Directorate of Hotels and Tourism, Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, Republic of The Union of Myanmar on 17th May 2016 in Nay Pyi Taw.The Hon’ble Minister expressed his pleasure receiving the delegation. It was the first delegation of this scale he received after taking over. He mentioned about Buddhist pilgrimage shared between India and Myanmar. Bodh Gaya attracts many from Myanmar on account of Buddhist tourism. He also said that there are not that many footfalls from India to Myanmar. With more Indian footfall in Myanmar, people in Myanmar will get the opportunity to interact more with Indians which will further encourage business relationships. Indian investors in tourism sector are also welcome in Myanmar. The other areas, he advised, in which Indian businesses are having opportunities in Myanmar are HR Training (as Myanmar needs capacity building in different sectors); IT including data collection and others; Skill Development especially English Language Training, and Mines and Minerals. The Bengal Chamber will submit a proposal of organizing a Golf Delegation to Myanmar which will be combined with a HR programme and Skill Development including English Language Training. President mentioned that this will lead to golf tourism from India to Myanmar which will give them exposure to Myanmar as a tourism destination. The Chamber will also submit a proposal to connect Kolkata and Yangon as Sister Cities to promote Buddhist Tourism. The proposal of Myanmar’s participation in India International Mega Trade Fair in December 2016 in Kolkata was submitted to the Hon’ble Minister. This will give businesses in Myanmar exposure to the consumers’ market in Kolkata and also B2B network of other countries participating in the Fair. The Hon’ble Minister was also invited to the Inauguration. Indo-Myanmar Cultural Programme, on occasion of the International Trade Fair, was also proposed to the Hon’ble Minister. The President informed that The Bengal Chamber would be delighted to offer the platform to promote Myanmar reaching out to Indian Stakeholders.

The delegation met Professor Thet Khaing Win, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Myanmar on 17th May 2016.Opportunities of promoting medical tourism from Myanmar to India were reiterated. The Permanent Secretary suggested that experts from Indian healthcare sector may also visit Myanmar and work in collaboration with their local counterparts. Medical Education Institutions of both the countries may collaborate. Indian Pharmaceutical organizations may set up factories in Myanmar. The Bengal Chamber proposed whether research may be conducted jointly by both the countries given most diseases are of similar nature due to similar climatic conditions. Funds from nternational Funding Agencies may also be approached together. Expertise on telemedicine and other technology expertise for providing healthcare to the people in Myanmar may be provided as well. In this context, the Permanent Secretary mentioned that connectivity may be an issue. There is a need to create IT infrastructure, connectivity and security. The Permanent Secretary advised to get in touch with the office of Minister of Transport and Communication in this context.

The delegation split in two groups on 18th May 2016. One group went to Mandalay for B2B Meetings and the other returned to Yangon to meet His Excellency Dr. Than Myint, Union Minister, Ministry of Commerce, The Republic of the Union of Myanmar. The second group also participated in the Dinner hosted by the Embassy of India in Yangon.

The Hon’ble Minister started his speech with the emotional connection people in Myanmar share with Indians.He also referred to the historical connection the two countries share. He mentioned that Myanmar, with the new Government, is opening its market. The country is very keen to retain its good relationship with India and increase trade and commerce. More investments from India are expected. Infrastructure and capacity building are areas Myanmar is focusing on and the Indian companies may value add. The Hon’ble Minister mentioned that his Ministry is responsible for promoting Myanmar’s trade with other countries and the Ministry is focusing on increasing exports. In this context, the Hon’ble Minister was apprised about the India International Mega Trade Fair organized by The Bengal Chamber with GS Marketing Associates who were also part of the delegation. The Chamber also apprised the Hon’ble Minister about the International Conference on Pulses in Kolkata, India in commemoration of this year being the International Year of Pulses as declared by the United Nations. The programme is being scheduled towards the end of 2016. The date will be finalized shortly in consultation with the Government of India and Government of West Bengal. The Chamber believes that it would be only be befitting to have Myanmar as our Partner Country for this programme. The Hon’ble Minister assured that he would look into the matter and his Ministry would evaluate the same discussing with the private sector.

The Delegation participated in a Dinner hosted by the Embassy of India in Yangon on the occasion of Myanmar-India Business Conclave: Forging Partnerships. The Dinner was graced by Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman, Hon’ble Commerce Minister of India; Dr. Than Myint, Union Minister, Ministry of Commerce, The Republic of the Union of Myanmar; Ambassador Gautam Mukhopadhaya, Indian Embassy in Yangon; Dr. Nandakumar Nagendran, Consul General, Consulate General of India in Mandalay; Smt. Arundhati Bhattacharya, CMD, State Bank of India and other dignitaries.It provided a significant networking session for the delegates with the business community in Myanmar and also with the Indian Diaspora in Myanmar.

Part of the delegation accompanied by one of the Chamber secretariat members visited Mandalay.In Mandalay, the delegation split according to their sectors of interest and one team met members of Myanmar Construction Entrepreneurs Association,while the others headed to the Consulate Office in Mandalay for their relevant B2B with representatives from the health sector.The entire delegation which visited Mandalay assembled in CGI’s office after their respective meetings. The delegates were received by Mr. Vipin Sharma, Consul, Indian Consulate General of India in Mandalay. The delegation visited Mandalay Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industries (MRCCI) for the prescheduled B2B meetings.Dr. Maung Maung, Secretary General of MRCCI greeted the delegation.

The Delegation met His Excellency U Khin Maung Cho, Union Minister, Ministry of Industry, The Republic of the Union of Myanmar on 19th May 2016 in Yangon and participated in the Myanmar-India Business Conclave.The Hon’ble Minister listened to the areas of interest of the delegation. He took interest in the India International Mega Trade Fair. He advised to focus on Small and Medium businesses in Myanmar like fisheries, agro based, food processing, light engineering and others. The Bengal Chamber apprised him about the project on MSME zoning that the Chamber is undertaking in West Bengal. The same may be done for the Myanmar Government as well as the MSMEs in Myanmar which are also classified in terms of geographical area like that in West Bengal.

During the Myanmar-India Business Conclave, Ambassador Gautam Mukhopadhaya expressed his appreciation for the delegation that the Chamber organized and requested the Chamber to work towards catalyzing connectivity between Kolkata and Sittwe Port, Myanmar. The deepwater port at Sittwe in Rakhine State in Myanmar is located on the Bay of Bengal at the mouth of the Kaladan River. Sittwe Port will be linked with Kolkata Port covering a distance of 539 km. The port has been financed and constructed by India at a cost of US$120 million and is part of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, which is a joint collaboration between India and Myanmar.