Following recent democratic elections in Burma, which have transformed the country into a democracy from an authoritarian State, UK's Sheffield Chamber of Commerce has joined an international pact aimed at reviving the Burmese textile industry, Yorkshire Post reports.
The project, the first international economic alliance with Burma after several years, is expected to help the textile and garment enterprises of Burma to go global through exports. Sheffield Chamber is the only UK agency, which has joined the two million pounds Switch Asia scheme forming part of project funded by the European Union. Under the scheme, the Sheffield Chamber would extend support to the Chamber of Commerce in Burma and would also directly help Burmese enterprises. The main idea is to help small and medium-sized enterprises in Burma to gain ability to develop new business. However, alongside this, the Chamber would also be hunting for business opportunities for Sheffield firms. Likely to go on for three years, the Switch Asia business support programme is targeted at enabling Burmese enterprises to compete with Indian, Vietnamese and Cambodian garment industries, Executive Director of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, Richard Wright said. Sheffield Chamber would extend training support to individuals who in turn would impart training to business organizations and other employees and workers. Also, it would direct Burmese enterprises on how to tap trade opportunities coming up in the EU and US. It is necessary for export-oriented enterprises to comply with some specific norms relating to health and safety, working practices and observance of environmental standards concerning waste management and energy conservation, Mr. Wright said. Their engagement in the project is mainly because this way they can gain support that can help them boost their export growth and also develop links for their businesses, he said.
