COUNTRY PRESENTATION OF MYANMAR WORKSHOP ON INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CLASSIFICATIONS SAN MYINT DIRECTOR CENTRAL STATISTICAL ORGANIZATION MYANMAR

Current Status on the Usage and Implementation of standard Industrial Classification 2

National Statistical System  The Statistical System of Myanmar is basically decentralized one.  Central Statistical Organization (CSO) was established under the Statistical Authority Act, Act No.34 of 1952.Under the 1952 Act, CSO is empowered to collect a wide of economic and social data to serve the Statistical needs of the nation.  CSO has close cooperation with 32 ministries and 101 organizations within the country.  According to the statistical system of country, every ministry in Myanmar having set up separate statistical units performs their relevant statistical operations.

Background  Myanmar introduced the standard industrial classification with BSIC (Burma Standard Industrial Classification) in The BSIC was prepared by CSO (former name CSED) and it was based on ISIC 1948 original version. 3

 BSIC consists of only 29 major groups and 146 groups. Its classification is in general applicability to international data comparability for various statistics classified according to kind of economic activity or goods and services. The BSIC was used for so many years in Myanmar. 4

 In 1990, the Ministry of Planning and Finance was formed the Code Classification Committee. ( The Planning and Finance Ministry was reformed as the two Ministries, Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development and Ministry of Finance and Revenue in 1995.) The Director General of CSO was Chairman and an Assistant Director was secretariat for the Code Classification Committee (CCC). Under CCC, the seven Code Classification Groups are as follows: 5

The seven Code Classification Groups (1) Area Code Classification Working Groups (2) Agency Code Classification Working Group (3) Industry Code Classification Working Group (4) Commodity Code Classification Working Group (5) Occupation Code Classification Working Group (6) Country Code Classification Working Group and (7) Subject Code Classification Working Group 6

 The officials from CSO were members for each and every group and an Assistant Director served as Leader for Industry Code Classification Group. Each and every group submitted their reports to Ministry of Finance and Revenue in 1993 and 1994 respectively. However, the final process of Industrial Classification Codes could not be reached up to application stage. 7

 The Departments and Agencies which participated in that Code Classification Groups were Budget Department, Planning Department, Central Equipment Statistics and Inspection Department, Customs Department, Foreign Economic Relation Department, Internal Revenue Department, Central Bank of Myanmar, Myanmar Agricultural Bank, Myanmar Economic Bank, Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank, Myanmar Insurance Services, Pension Department, National Archive Department, Archeology Department and Central Statistical Organization (CSO) took part a leading role and served as a focal organization. 8

CSO ICC and the two National Manufacturing Survey (NMS) (2003 & 2006)  CSO conducted the two National Manufacturing Survey in 2003 and The existing codes were unfit for present conditions. So, the staff from CSO has prepared the code numbers for the two NMS and amended for the new items. 9

We divided 13 Divisions according to fit the National Income Calculation:  (1) Food and Beverages  (2) Clothing and Wearing  (3) Construction Materials  (4) Personal Goods  (5) Household Goods  (6) Printing, Arts and Publishing  (7) Industrial Raw Materials  (8) Mineral and Petroleum Products  (9) Agricultural Equipment  (10) Machinery and Equipment  (11) Transport and Vehicles  (12) Electrical Goods  (13) Miscellaneous 10

Manufacturing Groups are classified by 546 groups with 4 digit code. For examples;  0101Manufacture of rice  0104Manufacture of pea  0106 Manufacture of oil-seeds  0109 Manufacture of sugar  0121 Manufacture of milk  0203 Manufacture of cotton  0205 Manufacture of silk  0305 Manufacture of furniture  0306 Manufacture of cane and cane product  0309 Manufacture of bamboo and bamboo product  0402 Manufacture of plastic  0704 Manufacture of rubber 11

Industrial Classification Codes (ICC) (based in ISIC – Rev. 3)  According to e-ASEAN Framework agreement, Myanmar e-National Task Force has been assigned in IT Standardization Steering Committee (ITSSC) to implement the standard coding system in Myanmar is also formed under the Myanmar e-National Task Force. ITSSC has six working groups and the working group for industrial classification codes is one of them. It is responsible to establish a standard coding system for all type of industries and had decided that the coding system should based on the latest revision of the time being ISIC Revision - 3 (1990). 12

The six working groups are as follows:- (a) Working Group for IT Terminology (b) Working Group for Myanmar Character Set (c) Working Group for Commodity Codes (d) Working Group for Industrial Classification Codes (e) Working Group for Occupational Codes (f) Working Group for Area Codes On that ICC implementation, the Directorate of Industrial Supervision and Inspection served as a focal Agency and officials from CSO were members in each group. Efforts were made to success the ICC and submitted to the Ministry of Industry No(1). But, there was the lack of awareness, and the lack of application to relating departments and agencies. 13

The 4 digit codes are used in ICC of Myanmar. e.g DIVISION15Manufacture of Food Products and Beverages 151Production, Processing and Preservation of meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, oils and fats 1511 Production, Processing and Preservation of meat and meat products 152Manufacturing of diary products 1520Production of diary products 153Manufacturing of grain mill products, starches and starch products, and prepared animal feeds 1531Manufacturing of grain mill products. DIVISION16Manufacture of Tobacco Products DIVISION17Manufacturing of Textile 171 Spinning, Weaving and finishing of textiles 1711Preparation and spinning of textiles fabrics, weaving of textiles 14

Industrial Classification Codes was prepared like this;- - the first two digit indicates the division - the first three digit identity the major group and - the four digit indicate the group Industrial Classification Codes - consists of 17 section, 60 Division (2 digit), 120 major groups (3 digit) and 227 groups (4 digit). 15

Present Situations and Future Plans for Myanmar Standard Industrial Classification Codes based on ISIC – Revision -4.  Central Statistical Organization (CSO) is implementing the Industrial Classification Codes (ICC) of all economic activities based on ISIC Revision-4 of United Nation.  On this, CSO would be a focal agency and other agencies such as Directorate of Industry, Directorate of Industrial Supervision and Inspection, Department of Cottage Industry, Planning Department,Foreign Economic Relations Department, Energy Planning Department, Directorate of Electric Power, Labour Department, Internal Revenue Department, Fishery Department and Myanmar Industries Association and some other relating agencies would be included in Working Committee. 16

Conclusions and Recommendations  The economic and Social Classifications are requirements for Surveys and Census. Currently, Myanmar has not used national Standard Industrial Classification based on Internal Standard yet. Up to now, The Central Product Classification(CPC) is not yet in use in Myanmar.  CSO does not have much experience in the development of National Classifications. CSO would like to suggest United Nations Statistics Division to provide technical assistance in the development of National Standard Industrial and Product Classification.

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