X. FOREIGN TRADE AND BALANCE OF PAYMENTS
Export declaration forms and import declaration
forms filled by the respective exporters and importers and
checked by customs officials constitute the major source of
information in compiling foreign trade statistics. Up to 2000-2001,
statistics on rice and rice products, timber, gem, marine
products and oil and gas are obtained from the Myanma Agricultural
Produce Trading, Myanma Timber Enterprise, Myanma Gem Enterprise,
Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited, Department of
Fishery and Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise respectively. Since
2001-2002, all exports and imports statistics are obtained
from the customs department.
Coverage
Figures include government and private exports and imports
on trade account, gifts, aids, and parcel posts. Sale of goods,
whether foreign or national to all foreign trading ships are
included in export statistics. All data exclude exports and
imports under military accounts. Exports and imports under
diplomatic privileges have been excluded since 1966.
Starting from November 1988, when border trade was opened,
the total foreign trade data include border trade.
Exports
Domestic exports are exports of national produce. All exports
are domestic exports plus re exports from bond and other than
from bond. Exports formerly recorded according to the date
of shipment have, since November 1967, been recorded according
to the date of completion of consignment.
Imports
The information represents General Imports or All Imports.
It is the sum of goods released direct from Customs wharves
for home consumption (direct imports for consumption) and
goods passed to be bonded (imports into bond). Imports which
had been recorded according to the date of arrival of goods,
since November 1967, have been recorded as of the date of
payment of duty, beginning April 1996.
Valuation
Exports are valued at F.O.B., that is, Free on Board (Ship
or other means of international transport), at port or place
of dispatch of exporting country (including export duties,
internal taxes and similar charges to the extent that they
remain charged on the goods and passed on to the importers).
Imports are valued at C.I.F., that is, Cost, Insurance and
Freight, ex-ship (or other means of international transport),
at port or place of arrival of the country (excluding customs
duty and other import charges).
Before 1990, border trade assessment values are determined
by "Cross-border Trading Co-ordinating Board". From
1990 onwards, assessment values are determined by the Head
Office of the Customs Department.
Country Information
Exports are credited to the country of final destination or
of ultimate consumption and imports are credited to the country
of primary origin or production.
Import and Export Indices
Quantum Indices of exports and imports are computed to gauge
the changes in the quantity of external trade when the effects
on price movements are eliminated. Unit value indices are
designed to provide means of measuring changes in the average
unit value of commodities exported or imported.
Trade Category - General import figures and domestic
export figures for certain selected commodities are used in
computing the indices and include trade under private and
government accounts.
Method - Both the Quantum and the Price Indices are
of the aggregative type computed with Laspeyre's formula.
The unit sale of each commodity is the C.I.F. or F.O.B. per
unit value of general imports and domestic exports respectively.
Base year are 1985-86 and 2000-2001.
Balance of Payments
The BOP is a statistical statement for a given period showing
(a) transactions in goods, services and income between an
economy and the rest of the world; (b) changes of ownership
and other changes in that economy's monetary gold, Special
Drawing Rights (SDRs) and claims on and liabilities to the
rest of the world; and (c) unrequited transfers and counterpart
entries that are needed to balance, in the accounting sense,
any entries for the foregoing transactions and changes which
are not mutually offsetting.
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