South East Asian Trips

Myanmar's economy is one of the weakest, not only in Asia but in the world- and the responsibility for that lies mainly with the military government. The regime has discouraged private enterprise in a number of sectors; has lagged behind in economic planning; and has done virtually nothing to encourage foreign investment. As of now, private enterprise is largely restricted to agriculture, transport and light industry; all other sectors, including energy and heavy industry are controlled and administered inefficiently and ineffectively by the government. Myanmar's GDP is at US$ 31 billion and GDP per head is US$ 676. Its main revenue earners are teak, jute, opium (illegal but big business!) and rice. Inflation is massive at 25% and annual growth rate is 6.4%. Myanmar's major trading partners are China, India, Thailand, Japan and Singapore.