Myanmar’s exports of garments manufactured under the cut-make-pack (CMP) system were valued $2.73 billion in the period between 1 October and May-end in the current fiscal year 2019-2020, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce.

At present, some CMP garment factories have shut down on the reason for the lack of raw materials due to the coronavirus negative impacts, leaving thousands of workers unemployed. The labor-intensive enterprises are badly battered by the coronavirus impacts. However, foreign direct investments flow into many types of businesses including the garment enterprises.

The CMP garment sector which contributes to 30 per cent of Myanmar’s export sector is struggling because of the order cancellation from the European countries and suspension of the trade by western countries amid the pandemic. The export value of CMP garments was only $850 million in the 2015-2016 fiscal year, but it has tripled over the last two FYs.