An afternoon organised by the Dutch Government Agency of the CBI, (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Working panel sessions: 13:30  – 17:30 

Networking and a glass of wine: 17:30 – 19:30

If you are in the fashion industry and constantly on the look out for the best strategic sourcing options, you possibly sit in one of these three camps:

• You are someone who is already operating Myanmar, has found suppliers (possibly Chinese factories in Myanmar) and have started working there
• You are someone who has been there, but wasn’t sure about working with the country given all the constraints or challenges it brought with it and put it on hold
• You may be someone who has not yet been there but has heard a lot about the country and are potentially interested in seeing how things develop before going there

Whichever camp you sit in, it’s important to keep track of all the happenings in Myanmar with its constantly evolving profile!

Increasingly fast paced development in the sector

When the Dutch Government Agency of the CBI first went in to Yangon in 2012, there were no mobile networks, very few hotels, and taxi prices were fairly reasonable! Fast-forward to 2016, your mobile phone catches network almost immediately on landing, there is 3G available, Wi-Fi is available in most places and high quality hotels have mushroomed almost on every corner in the city. There are great bistros and restaurants set up, expats are a common phenomenon on the streets, and taxis are at least 3 times more expensive!  Garment factories have been opening almost everyday, and donor programmes such as the Export Coaching Programme run by the Dutch Government agency CBI, (www.cbi.nl) are focussing on developing and increasing FOB exports of the locally owned factories to Europe sustainably. Over the years 2014 – 15 about 20 local factories have been exposed to the EU markets and have visited the first set of interested retailers to assess interest and to learn about expectations. As a result, in 2016 many of the retailers and brands who met with Myanmar companies in 2015 saw the potential and have now started exploring direct business possibilities with the local companies, rather than through a series of agents.

Export competitiveness of local factories is key to being an ethical sourcing destination

Building capacity of local entrepreneurs and locally owned factories in Myanmar is critical to keeping the industry ethical and sustainable in the long term. As the Chairman of Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association (MGMA), Mr. U Myint Soe says,

Our focus is to build capacity in the country and within the industry to handle the FOB process in a responsible way

Fresh, important developments currently in Myanmar from missions in May 2016

With skills in creating more valuable products, and years of experience in supplying to highly demanding customers in Japan and South Korea, Myanmar is more than just a low cost destination.

So, what are the next steps for Myanmar? What’s happening now after the elections?

CBI will bring to the table a fresh insight and share the learnings from their stakeholder meeting, as well discussing the key findings from the in-factory audit mission in May 2016.