Maungdaw border trade still suffers from junta road and water blockades

By DMG 01 Dec 2022

DMG Newsroom
1 December 2022, Maungdaw

The border trade with Bangladesh through Arakan State’s Maungdaw Township still can’t operate as normal despite the latest ceasefire between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army (AA), according to border traders in Maungdaw.

The Myanmar military has maintained a blockade of the Agnumaw-Maungdaw road despite the truce, said local business owners.

The border trade through Maungdaw has declined by 95 percent since the Myanmar military blocked off trade routes on August 13, according to merchants.

“The trade declined by 30 percent in September, a further 30 percent in October, and another 30 percent in the first week of November, and it had declined by a total of 95 percent in the last week of November,” said the chairman of the Maungdaw Border Traders Association, U Aung Myint Thein.

Only approximately one vessel of goods can be exported to Bangladesh every two weeks now, said U Aung Myint Thein.

The regime reopened the waterway from Sittwe-Yaychanbyin to Agnumaw, and the Agnumaw-Maungdaw road, which are the key routes for border trade through Maungdaw to Bangladesh, on November 28 and 29. But the routes have since been blocked again.

Boatman Ko Zaw Lin at Yaychanbyin Jetty said: “Vessels and Z-craft are moored at the jetty. Authorities have not yet told us when we will be able to leave for Agnumaw again.”

Merchants hope that border trade routes will be reopened in the wake of the ceasefire in Arakan State.

Border traders in Maungdaw said they are discussing with concerned departments to resume regular border trading via Maungdaw.

Myanmar mainly exports fisheries products, rice, onion, and other agricultural produce through Maungdaw, and imports building materials from there.

The Maungdaw border trade camp recorded export revenues of US$43 million in 2021-22 fiscal year, but export revenues total just US$23 million so far this year, according to the Arakan State Chamber of Commerce and Industry.