13.06.2025 (04:30 PM) Htate

“We are 90 percent dependent on overseas raw materials, and if we can’t import them from there, we can’t do anything from the process side,” he said.

“Overall, this is a problem that the whole country is facing. If we want to make a quality product, we have to find and operate with locally available raw materials,” he added.

The Myanmar Plastics Industry Association has more than 330 member companies, and the biggest challenge, they say, is access to raw materials.

The military junta, which has been struggling with foreign exchange since the coup, has restricted foreign imports to reduce its use of dollars, and is no longer able to import essential goods such as fuel, cooking oil and medicine in sufficient quantities.

Among the factories and workshops that relied on foreign raw materials during the military junta, the garment industry is still able to operate because it continues to receive international orders and raw materials.

Many international brand companies continue to operate in Myanmar due to low wages in the world. However, on the other hand, due to the rising prices of goods, workers are not getting enough to eat and are protesting for higher wages.