MYANMAR’S food processing industry could benefit from a survey conducted last month by a foreign expert, the country’s leading trade body said.

The vice president of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, U Zaw Min Win, said that, following UMFCCI’s request for assistance the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) had facilitated contacts with the Japanese Overseas Development Corporation (JODC), which sponsored and financed the program. As a result, a food expert from Thailand visited Yangon on May 1 to conduct a quality improvement survey for Myanmar’s agro-based food industry. UMFCCI believes this could lead to the setting up of standardised food laboratories in the future.

“UMFCCI requested JETRO to help improve the quality of the Myanmar food processing industry and JETRO facilitated contacts with JODC. The expert will visit Myanmar foodstuffs factories from May 10-15 as a first round, and in the last week of May as the second round,” U Zaw Min Win said before the visit.

“He sent a questionnaire to the factory owners on the food processing technology in use. This could lead to the appearance of food laboratories in Myanmar soon,” he added.

An official from the JETRO office in Yangon said that they are coordinating between JODC and UMFCCI for this program and the foreign expert is from Thailand.