Even with state owned timber businesses being usually profitable every yea, Minister of Environmental Conservation and Forestry, U Win Htun, said it is the government’s policy to professionalize its public enterprises.

“Although Myanmar businesses are changing with the market economy, the timber industry has not clearly changed until now,” he said. “So to complete the change to a market economy, we will open companies in the sector as public firms.

A total of 12 timber state-owned firms and 3 furniture state companies will transition to being public companies. If these transitions are successful, the remaining 69 timber companies will likewise be changed.