Yangon, Nov 03: Asserting that Myanmar has a "special place" in its 'Look East' Policy, India today sought doubling of the trade turnover between them to one billion US dollars in the next three years and said joint projects in areas of information technology, telecom, hydrocarbons, engineering goods and pharmaceuticals held promise. "The India-Myanmar Joint Trade Committee has proposed to raise the turnover to USD one billion in the next three years through expansion and diversification of trade. This is a challenging but feasible task," Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat told the captains of Myanmarese industry here. Shekhawat, who arrived here yesterday on a five-day visit at the head of a high-level delegation, said while the committee would focus on removing impediments and providing an appropriate framework at the policy level, a dynamic private sector, apex chambers of commerce and leaders of industry should achieve the target. Observing that trade, including border trade, was a vital component of their relationship, he said the Tamu-Kalay Road was a symbol of joint endeavours between the two neighbours.

"IT and telecommunications, hydrocarbons, light engineering goods, pharmaceuticals and food processing are areas of promise," he said adding human resource development had become a major field of cooperation between the two sides.

Bureau Report