Myanmar to hold gems emporium in March

Myanmar to hold gems emporium in March
www.chinaview.cn 2009-01-16 10:50:43

YANGON, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar will hold an annual gem show here in March this year to encourage national gem traders to sell more quality gems, jade, pearl and jewelry, according to the Central Committee for Holding Myanmar Gems Emporium Friday.

Without specific date set, the 46th annual Myanmar gems emporium will take place at the Myanmar Convention Center on the basis of competitive bidding, the sources said.

In the last 45th annual gems emporium held in March 2008, 7,000 lots of jade, 300 lots of gems and 270 lots of pearl as well as a 30-kilogram jade block were put on sale.

The event was attended by around 3,000 foreign merchants mostly from China, China's Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, India, Italy, Britain, Japan, Australia, the United States and Canada.

In June-July and October last year, a special gem sale and a mid-year gem sale were respectively added which attracted even more merchants than the annual regular event.

Myanmar started to hold gem shows annually in 1964, introducing the mid-year one in 1992 and the special one in 2004.

Myanmar, a well-known producer of gems in the world, boasts ruby, diamond, cat's eye, emerald, topaz, pearl, sapphire, coral and a variety of garnet tinged with yellow.

The authorities designated the proceeds from the sale of gems at these emporiums as legal export earning to encourage the private sector in the development of the gem industry.

Of Myanmar's 6.043 billion U.S. dollars' exports in 2007-08, gem products stood the third after natural gas and agricultural produces with 647.53 million dollars, according to official statistics.

The government's Central Statistical Organization also revealed that in the fiscal year 2007-08, Myanmar produced 20,235 tons of jade and 22.668 million carats of gems which include ruby, sapphire, spinel and peridot, as well as 225,611 mommis (846 kilograms) of pearl.