Total trade with Myanmar reached 17.47 billion baht, down 3.25% compared to the previous month. PHOTO: THE NATION
BANGKOK – The Department of Foreign Trade has reported a downturn in trade with Myanmar for February, attributed to the ongoing crackdown on cross-border scam call-centre operations.
Director-general Arada Fuangthong of the Ministry of Commerce disclosed that total trade with Myanmar reached 17.47 billion baht, down 3.25% compared to the previous month.
Exports to Myanmar saw a marginal decline of 0.6%, totalling 10.027 billion baht, while imports fell by 6.6%, amounting to 7.443 billion baht. Notably, exports of diesel and other refined petroleum products were significantly impacted, plummeting by 61.0% to 510 million baht.
However, Arada emphasised that exports to Myanmar, excluding energy products, continued to demonstrate growth, registering a 7.1% increase. The department pledged to maintain close monitoring of the Thai-Myanmar border trade situation and provide trade facilitation support.
Additionally, plans for the “Border Trade and Special Economic Zone Expansion Project: Border Trade Fair” in Mae Sot district, Tak province, remain in place to stimulate trade.
Despite the challenges with Myanmar, overall border and transit trade figures for February indicated robust growth.
Total trade surged by 19.9% to 154.354 billion baht. Exports rose by 20.8% to 86.020 billion baht, and imports increased by 18.8% to 68.334 billion baht, resulting in a trade surplus of 17.686 billion baht. For the first two months of 2025, total border and transit trade reached 299.494 billion baht, a 10.9% increase.
A breakdown of border trade with neighbouring countries revealed that trade with Laos was the highest at 28.078 billion baht, up 8.4%, followed by Malaysia at 25.401 billion baht, up 15.6%; Myanmar at 17.470 billion baht, down 3.3%; and Cambodia at 15.594 billion baht, up 15%.
Key export items included diesel (3.355 billion baht), agro-industrial products (1.501 billion baht), and industrial goods (1.364 billion baht). Total border trade for the first two months totalled 170.340 billion baht, up 5.2%.
Transit trade to third countries also experienced substantial growth, rising by 37.7% to 67.811 billion baht. Exports increased by 52.4% to 35.200 billion baht, and imports by 24.8% to 32.611 billion baht.
China accounted for the largest share of transit trade, valued at 38.537 billion baht, up 55.5%. Key export items included hard disk drives (7.571 billion baht), TSNR block rubber (4.887 billion baht), and concentrated latex (2.373 billion baht). Total transit trade for the first two months reached 129.154 billion baht, up 19.5%.
Asia News Network/The Nation
