The Irrawaddy: Loopholes in Myanmar’s Forest Sector Cost Govt Million in Revenue

YANGON—Internationally known for forestry products such as teak, timber extraction in Myanmar is lucrative. The website of the Myanmar Timber Enterprise (MTE) boasts that the “forestry sector in Myanmar is one of the major contributors to the national economy.” A new report from the Myanmar Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (MEITI) reveals that the forest sector earned more than US$463 million in fiscal year 2014-15 and nearly $480 million the following year, representing 0.2 percent of the country’s GDP.