New Inland port proposed in Maungdaw

(Narinjara News, 18 October 2014):
The Rakhine state government has planned to set up a new inland port in Maungdaw, a western Burma border town, to boost trades with neighbouring Bangladesh, said the  Maungdaw based border trade association.
The government has decided to construct the new port nearby to Kayin Chaung jetty, which is two miles away from Maungdaw. The port may cover an area of 50 acres. The proposed port is understood to allow cargo ships with 300 to 400 tons of items from Bangladesh to Burma and vice versa.
“The present jetty is a narrow one and hence not suitable for extensive trading activities. So the State government has decided to constrict the new port in  an location near to Kayin Chaung jetty, where at least 20 warehouse/storehouses will come up,” said a local border trade association leader.

The Rakhine business minister U Mya Aung has recently visited Maungdaw to initiate the project and he discussed with local businessmen on the matter.
“U Mya Aung told us that the government planned to contribute 600 million Kyat for the new project. Another 400 million Kyat is to be contributed by the trade association of Maungdaw,” he added.
However the trade association of Maungdaw confessed that it has no fund at this moment for the  same and hence urged the government in Sittwe to support them in the project.
It may be mentioned that there are two land ports namely Shwe Mingan in Sittwe and Shwe Zar in Maungdaw in Arakan to trade with Bangladesh. The  Shwe Zar jetty in Maungdaw is however is in poor condition now.
The new port is expected to benefit both Buddhist and Muslim people living on the  border areas as Burma and Bangladesh have already signed a MoU  on border trades on 18 May 1994 following which the trade activities began from 5 September 1995.