Chairman of State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing delivers a speech at 2/2021 Meeting of Union Government of Republic of Union of Myanmar
Nay Pyi Taw October 25
Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing delivered a speech at 2/2021 Meeting of Union Government of Republic of Union of Myanmar held at the Office of the Chairman of the SAC Office inlay Pyi Taw this afternoon.
Also present at the meeting were Vice Chairman of the SAC Deputy Prime Minister ViceSenior General Soe Win, union ministers General Mya Tun Oo, Lt-Gen Soe Htut, Lt-Gen Yar Pyay, U Chit Naing, Lt-Gen Tun Tun Naung, U Win Shein, U Aung Naing Oo, U Ko Ko Hlaing, Dr Thida Oo, U Maung Maung Own, U Ko Ko, U Tin Htut Oo, U Hla Moe, Admiral Tin Aung San, U Khin Maung Yi, U Aung Than Oo, Dr Charlie Than, U Khin Yi, U Myint Kyaing, Dr Pwint San, Dr Nyunt Pe, Dr Myo Thein Kyaw, Dr Thet Khaing Win, U Min Thein Zan, U Shwe Lay, Dr Thet Thet Khaing, Dr Htay Aung and U Saw Tun Aung Myint while the chairman of the Nay Pyi Taw Council and chief ministers from states and regions attended the meeting via video conferencing.
First, the Senior General delivered an opening speech, saying that governments implement political policies in any country and the union government has adopted and has been implementing the five-point road map and nine objectives.
In connection with politics, as it is necessary for Myanmar to be a country with prosperity and abundant food supplies, the government is taking measures by adopting policies. In doing so, the government has placed emphasis on an economy based on agriculture and livestock breeding. If agriculture and livestock breeding tasks can be carried out to the full extent,
food will be abundant. All the resources for doing so are available at home. Therefore, priority must be given to abundant food supplies. Food producers make up 70 per cent of the population of the country and the country is earning the highest amount of foreign exchange from products from agriculture and livestock breeding.
As the farmers who carry out agriculture and livestock breeding tasks are people living in rural areas, it is necessary to give priority to the high living standards and prosperity of people in rural areas. Therefore, the development of states is given priority to realize the development of people in rural areas.
It is necessary for ministries and chief ministers of relevant regions and states to carry out tasks for rural economic growth and development of states in accordance with policies adopted by the State.
There are many tasks to be carried out according to the census reports in 2019. According to the reports, 8.1 per cent of 46.463 million people who are above the age of five had never been to school. Similarly, as there are only 18 million people who completed the middle school level education out of 25.169 million people who are above the age of 25, only about seven million people studied the high school education. Therefore, it is found that there are weaknesses in the education of Myanmar.
It is necessary to give priority to education. ‘‘Knowledge can be gained only through school education and sciences can be learnt based on knowledge.’’ It is necessary to take measures to enable youths to stand on their feet. Therefore, it is necessary to exert efforts for education without fail. According to the census, 8.1 per cent of the population had never been to school including 9.7 per cent of the people in Kayah State, 19.5 per cent of the people in Karen State, 10.5 per cent of the people in Chin State, 9.4 per cent of the people in Mon State and 23 per cent of the people in Shan State. It is found that these five states have more people who have never been to a school than the average rate of the entire country. According to statistics, five out of 100 people in urban areas and nine out of 100 people in rural areas failed to go to school. In terms of population and ages, 92 per cent of children between the ages of 5 and 9 went to school but only 72.9 per cent of children between the ages of 10 and 15 reached the post-primary and middle school level. It is found that only ten per cent of people between the ages of 16 and 29 continued to study education. In terms of age, a large number of people acquired education but the number decreased in middle and high school education. A total of 57 per cent of students became dropouts including 21.5 per cent of students who could not afford an education, 29.2 per cent of students who had to help their parents’ businesses and 7.2 per cent of students who joined the agriculture and livestock breeding industry. It is necessary for the government to help solve the issues. As 70 per cent of the population live in rural areas and play an important role in the economy, it is important to promote the education of people in rural areas. Therefore, responsible ministries and state and region governments are required to take the issue seriously.
Despite engagement of agricultural and livestock breeding activities as the base, the country has only one university of agriculture and one university of livestock and veterinary science. Some regions and states have agriculture institutes but all of them could not have opened one. Therefore, more institutes will be opened in all the regions and states. Then, colleges and universities will be opened in important places.
Only then, will agricultural and livestock breeding improve thereby contributing to people’s socio-economy?
As our country is agricultural, we need to have good strains, arable land, enough irrigation water and good cultivation methods.
The opening of agriculture institutes will facilitate those necessities to a certain degree. In using fertilizers, both natural and chemical fertilizers are required. For high yield, chemical fertilizers acceptable in terms of health are also necessary. Natural fertilizers such as biofertilizer, humus fertilizer, fertilizer made from cow dung and pig dung and EM bokashi fertilizer can be produced domestically.
So, livestock breeding tasks should be carried out in a cage system. We should not be complacent about using traditional livestock breeding methods only. It is necessary to catch up with modern technologies.
As such, the government must give encouragement, help and motivation. Only then, will there be high yields of agricultural products and increased foreign income, and a prosperous country can be built.
When it comes to the need for chemical fertilizers in the country, “there are five chemical fertilizer plants. Of them, two will not operate well in the long run as they gets old in terms of technology. The remaining three are in a good process of manufacturing.
They are located in Kyaw Swar, Myaungdaga and Pathein.
Kyaw Swar plant has halted due to the gas problem. But, it is trying to reoperate. With this included, they could produce only 300,000 yearly if they operate at full capacity. We have 15 million acres of monsoon paddy plantations, 3 million acres of summer paddy plantations.
Other crops such as beans and peas, corn, sesame and cotton are also grown.
We have a lot. Looking at the lists ,for example, there are 10 million acres of monsoon paddy plantations by the Ayeyawady River and 900,000 acres by the Chindwin River. There are 2 million acres of summer paddy plantations. There are over 400,000 acres of corn, 9 million acres of beans and pulses, 6 million acres of oil crops and over 800,000 acres of industrial crops. There are about 30 million acres in total. Giving them fertilizers, the amount will be tremendous even if we give a bag per acre. Look at the number of imported fertilizers three years ago. Only two kinds of urea and compound had to be imported yearly with about 1.5 million tons. It cost about US$-280 million. The price was one or two years ago. The price cannot be the same this year. It might by about 560 million. As we have only three state-owned plants, we have to import 1.5 million tons a year. I mean the country is in need of fertilizers.
Fertilizers are produced based on gas. We need to build urea fertilizer plants.”
The Senior General continued to say that river-water pumping projects must be implemented effectively for enough irrigation water for all-season growing of crops. As such, a renewable energy source like solar power should be used to obtain enough irrigation water. Experts point out that about 80 per cent of the Ayeyawady River water flows into the sea without beneficial usage. The water needs to be used beneficially. The whole world faces freshwater shortages.
Dam water must be used in a combined system of saving and enough supply for agricultural purposes.
In our country, onshore and offshore gas is being produced.
There are exports as well as domestic use for electricity generation. In the country, wind power can also be tapped in the coastal regions. Likewise, hydropower and solar power must be used. Respective region and state chief ministers need to do this on small and medial scales depending on regionally available sources. As river water pumping projects are beneficial to agricultural undertakings, encouragement must be made.
It is found that there is a need for gas in factories working for domestic production. Therefore, an energy policy is being formulated to ensure sufficient use of natural gas in the domestic sector in the energy sector.
Similarly, coal needs to be used systematically to generate the required energy in factories. It is also needed to carry out the necessary cement production work for nation-building. It is also necessary to produce quality bricks.
Regarding the need for adequate production of cement and iron rods in the country, the Chairman of the State Administration Council said, “There are 19 cement factories: 16 private cement factories and 3 state-owned factories. At its full capacity, they can produce 16 million and 170,000 bags of cement. Some are made of dry process and some are made of wet process.
In fact, the dry method is the best in Myanmar. It is better to change the method to produce cement to dry process. The government will provide a loan for this. We can borrow foreign currency. We can lend the money needed to buy things from abroad. We can do it if they follow the procedure. We have to support the local cement industry. It can produce 16 million bags of cement. When we collected data on the use of cement in Myanmar, there are 10 to 11 million bags of cement are used locally. That means enough. There is no reason to import cement from abroad.
When I asked why the cement was imported, I got the answer that the imported cement has good quality. That means we have to make good quality cement.
We have to set a standard. How much is the EU Standard? How much is the UK Standard? How much is the US Standard? How much must be in line with Chinese standards? How much must be in line with Japanese Standard? These factories have to work to get this standard.
If not, the factory will have to close. That's the way to go. If we make it easy like that, it will not work at all. Therefore, I said about it to the relevant ministers and chief ministers the previous day. For instance, Shan State and Mandalay Region have cement factories. There are cement factories in the Nay Pyi Taw Council area also. Check and make it in line with the policy. This will reduce cement imports. We can make it happen. There are raw materials in Myanmar that can be used to produce raw steel. There are about four places that can actually be commercialized for many years. We also imported the iron rods in the same way.
That is why I am pushing for the construction of a steel plant. We cannot be satisfied with small rods. We have to go to something like that to build a bridge and produce H beams and I beams. It cannot be done. This country is going to be poor if all the goods are imported and we don’t produce although we have raw materials in the country. Therefore, we are working to produce enough cement in the country. When it comes to fertilizers, I invite anyone from home to abroad who wants to build a new plant, anyone interested in fertilizer production. When it comes to fertilizer production, we will adjust our gas and electricity as inputs. Let's get the electricity we talked about earlier.
On the other hand, if we can increase the domestic demand for renewable energy. It is possible to reduce the gas which will be used to generate electricity and we can use the gas for the factory. We have to think about that too.
We cannot use easy ways. I want to say that we have to work with the mindset of how to develop the country. So in terms of the economy, I also gave a policy on energy. I am talking about steel. If you want to make steel, I am encouraged you to build a steel plant like the way I encouraged you to build fertilizer factories. I would like to say that I will do my best if any ethnic business owner or country would like to be involved in steel production.”
Furthermore, during the 2020- 2021 budget period, there was a surplus of foreign currency in the import and export businesses.
If we save more than we can now, we will be able to show more surplus. For example, imports of cooking oil from abroad were initially high and needed to be reduced.
Domestic oil consumption is high and if oil consumption can be reduced, the trade surplus will increase even more. Similarly, fuel consumption also needs to be reduced.
As regards the transport sector, he said, “Public transportation must be encouraged to use trains, city circular trains and buses more. So, the government made arrangements to run the train services despite the financial losses. However there would be disturbances, the government will run the train services. It is upgrading rail lines because this task benefits the country. There will be more benefits if the country can introduce electricity-run public transportation. Hence, the government is supporting the power generation sector.
Electric trains will run in the entire country. City circular trains will run along their own routes. Then, there will be electric cars in all the urban areas. After making necessary calculations for a certain length of time, we will announce the timetable for the use of electric cars including private vehicles and small ones. Large cars may also be turned into electric cars. The country will have to study the technology of other countries. Private cars and buses are possible. The country will adopt a timetable for vehicle electrification plans.
If we fail to do so, we will be left behind.” He said the country is importing food products. Local food production must meet the domestic demand. So, SMEs must be promoted and industrial zones must be set up region/state wise. The quality of locally produced food must be enhanced and local industries must be encouraged through the use of technology. Local goods
need to have the quality to compete in the international markets. Efforts must be made to reduce imports by fulfilling the local food demand to the most possible degree.
The country puts about 400,000 acres under cotton. If the cotton per acre yield reaches the international level, local demand can be fulfilled. Hence, foreign cooperation is acquired in developing the cotton cultivation technology. Cotton farmers need support.
The adopted policies must be successfully realized. Mainly, the economy must be developed and discipline must be enforced.
Rural economic development will lead to national economic growth. A Compulsory education system is being implemented for education promotion. the Focus is on the Middle school level and KG+9 must be successful in all regions and states. More teachers are being appointed. Arrangements are underway to reopen school when the COVID-19 infection rate falls below three per cent. Student vaccination programs and vaccine import programs are in progress. The country’s economy will reach a normal situation when the virus can be controlled. Education promotion should be prioritized in weak regions and states as rich human resources are required in building a Union based on the federal system and democracy and Union spirit. People will understand the essence of democracy only if their intellectual level is high.
Hence, education promotion campaigns must be encouraged.
The meeting approved the sector-wise presentations of the union ministers.
In his concluding address, the Senior General said the government has a plan to sponsor the KG+9 programs.
Regions and states must upgrade their schools and every school needs an adequate number of teachers. Teachers of remote border areas must teach their pupils to become skilled in their lessons and be really educated.
The Ministry of Education must produce qualified teachers.
Human resources are important in nation-building tasks.
Subject-wise experts must be brought out. Agro experts are required for rural economic development. Overseas scholarship programs must be enhanced for national benefit. Scholars must be assigned the right jobs.
Producer cooperatives must be formed for rural development.
Direct involvement of locals will surely benefit them as rural development must be based on cooperatives. Efforts must be made for constant raw material supply and goods to meet the export level.
Good roads are needed. Priority must be given to the improvement of rural roads and production roads with the involvement of the respective ministries.
Public roads and railroads must be developed.
The national economy and the local currency must be stabilized.
Utmost efforts are being made to control the currency value and for the stability of the banking system. The government is trying to boost exports while controlling the volume of imports for national economic progress.
The main thing is to develop the country. Ministries must adopt long-term plans and must work in all seriousness.