CHINA is accelerating the market-oriented re form of its renewable power pricing system in a bid to build a new power system and promote the sustainable development of renewable energy generation. 

The National Development and Reform Com mission (NDRC) and the National Energy Administration (NEA) recently issued a joint notice on deepening the pricing re form for electricity generated from renewable energy.

 The reform focuses on three key aspects: allowing market forces to determine renewable power pricing, establishing a pricing and settlement mechanism that supports the long-term sustainability, and adopting differentiated policies for existing and new pro jects. 

“This new pricing policy will significantly accelerate the construction of a modern power system and ensure the sustainable development of renewable energy,” said Zhang Dayong, deputy secretary-general of the China Association for the Promotion of Indus trial Development. 

Industry experts believe this reform is essential as China enters a new stage of renewable energy development.

China highly values the new energy sector, such as wind and solar power, rolling out an array of favourable pol icies spanning pricing, finance and industry. The supportive measures, including a fixed pricing mechanism, have led to exponential growth in re newable energy capacity. 

At the end of 2024, the country’s total installed renewable power capacity reached 1.41 billion kilowatts, accounting for over 40 per cent of its total electricity capacity and surpassing coal-fired power installations. 

Despite this rapid expansion, the existing fixed-pricing mechanism for renewable power has struggled to reflect real market supply and demand dynamics. 

Conditions are now ripe to shift to market-based pricing, analysts said, citing falling power generation costs and an evolving market and predicting that the re form will enhance industry efficiency and ensure sustainable high-quality growth. — Xinhua

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

Union-level MSME Product Exhibition and Competition aim to produce value-added products at home as import-substitute goods and penetrate foreign markets.

A ceremony to open the Union-level MSME Product Exhibition and Competition took place at Tabaung Ground near the Uppatasanti Pagoda in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday morning, attended by Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
Chairman of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Work Committee SAC Vice-Chairman Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win, Union Ministers U Win Shein, U Min Naung. U Hla Moe, Dr Charlie Than, Dr Myo Thein Kyaw and Nay Pyi Taw Council Chairman U Than Tun Oo cut the ceremonial ribbon to open the expo.
The Senior General pressed the button to inaugurate the expo.
At the opening ceremony, the Senior General and attendees enjoyed the dance performances of traditional cultural troupes with the song in honour of the opening of the expo in commemoration of the 78th Anniversary of Union Day.
The Senior General and his entourage interestingly visited the ministerial booths, and MSME booths of regions and states and asked about matters related to products, discussed work process of relevant products, use of raw materials, manufacturing of products, market shares at home and abroad, requirements of workplaces, and potentials to extend distribution of products domestically and internationally and fulfilled the needs.
In the afternoon, the Senior General viewed round MSME products at the booths of Mandalay Region, Ministry of Information, Business Matching Hall, Myanmar Banks Association, Digital Corner, Myanmar Economic Holding Public Company Limited, Myanmar Economic Corporation, Republic of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Myanmar Traditional Medicine Producers and Medical Entrepreneurs Association and Myanmar Oil Millers Association and asked about production, supply of raw materials, grasping foreign market shars, more distribution of products at home and abroad, and gave guidance. They rode buggies to view round products displayed by small-scale industries and manufacturing cooperative societies.
Also present at the ceremony were Daw Than Than Nwe, wife of the Vice-Senior General, Council Joint Secretary General Ye Win Oo, council members and their wives, Union ministers and their wives, Union-level dignitaries and their wives, chief ministers of regions and states and their wives, senior Tatmadaw officers from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief and their wives, deputy ministers and officials.
The expo will last for five days from 10 to 14 February, at Tabaung Ground, south of Uppatasanti Pagoda in Nay Pyi Taw. The expo aims to develop cooperation among MSMEs in regions and states to fulfil requirements for each other in the production chain and analyze strong and weak points, to help businesspersons seek the significant points for manufacturing better quality products at fair prices than others, to encourage successful implementation of the One Region One Product scheme, to continuously enhance products and services of MSMEs, to produce value-added products at home as import-substitute goods and penetrate foreign markets, to further cooperate between MSMEs and local and foreign investors, to honour model product awards to MSMEs and contribute to long-standing of MSME.
The expo features product sales at 96 booths of ministries, regions and states, traditional food stalls of ethnic people, business matching process, technological booths, foreign machinery and products, small-scale industries and manufacturing cooperative societies.
Plans are underway to present digital trophies, certificates of appreciation and cash awards for products to winners in 31 genres in the product competition. Cash award winners can take cash from e-banking through the digital payment system. — MNA/TTA

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

A severe egg shortage is gripping California and the western United States as a deadly avian flu outbreak continues to decimate poultry flocks, driving egg prices to record highs and forcing food businesses to adapt their operations.

 The price for cage-free large white eggs reached US$8.65 per dozen in California when delivered wholesale, while organic brown eggs were sold at US$9.39 per dozen, said the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Daily National Shell Egg Index Report on Friday.

 The report shows that egg prices in California have more than doubled since 2024. 

Beth, a Bay Area resident who gave only her first name, shared her recent struggles with egg shopping. “I checked several grocery stores in my neighborhood, but eggs were either sold out or too expensive,” she told Xinhua on Friday. 

A trip to a Costco store proved fruitless, with empty shelves greeting her as well. Store staff advised her to return early in the morning to improve her chances. — Xinhua

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

SAUDI Arabia’s pavilion at the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka will offer visitors a window into how the kingdom is evolving beyond oil dependency while preserving its cultural heritage, the country’s ambassador to Japan said. 

“What’s exciting for Saudi Arabia is to have a comprehensive transformation that involves not just the economy, but culture, life, and the environment,” Saudi Ambassador Ghazi Binzagr, who also serves as commissioner general of his country’s Osaka expo exhibitions, said in a recent interview. 

Designed by British architecture company Foster and Partners, the pavilion will highlight Saudi Arabia’s diverse landscape from green mountains to coral reefs, he added. 

“What the visitor will experience is a taste of what it’s like to have a country in the middle of a transformation,” the ambassador said. 

Saudi Arabia is one of around a dozen countries set ting up a so-called “Type A” self built pavilion, considered the highlight of the expo. 

The pavilion’s structure embodies the country’s trans formation, featuring sustainable elements like solar panels along with cutting-edge technology, including artificial intelligence and virtual reality experiences, according to Saudi officials. 

It draws on the architecture in the country’s traditional villages, designed to lead visitors through a forecourt planted with Saudi Arabian flora and narrow streets to the courtyard where performances and events will be held, according to Foster and Partners. 

The structure’s cladding is made from lightweight Saudi stone and can be deconstructed and reassembled, or reconfigured, for use in a future location. — Kyodo

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

TOMATO price has fallen and its trade has mounted, according to traders. 

“It has been about three days that tomato price has declined and the trade has increased after the price dropped. The majority of orders come from Yangon and are followed by Nay Pyi Taw, Toungoo, Kanyutkwin, Pyay and Mawlamyine,” said Ko Than Win Hlaing from Padamya tomato wholesale trading centre in Aungban Township. 

Before the price dropped, the trade was slow as a kind of tomato called tomato species of Chinese Taipei was produced. The price is likely to continue falling until the end of February. 

“When a tomato variety, we called tomatoe species of Chinese Taipei were produced, the market was slightly slowdown. It seems the price will con tinue falling until the end of the month,” he said. — Thit Taw/ZS

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

The currency swap arrangement will enhance financial cooperation, promote trade, investment, and stabilize financial markets. THE People’s Bank of Chi na (PBOC), the country’s central bank, has renewed a bilateral currency swap agreement with the Bank Indonesia. 

The total value of the agreement is 400 billion yuan (about US$ 55.79 billion), or 878 trillion Indonesian rupiah, the PBOC said in a statement on its website.

The agreement is valid for five years and can be renewed upon mutual consent, according to the statement. The currency swap arrangement will strengthen financial cooperation between China and Indonesia, promote and facilitate bilateral trade and investment, and safeguard the stability of the financial markets, the statement added. — Xinhua

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

AT the MSME Expo in commem oration of the 78th Union Day, Shwebo Win Cake which is a famous food product of Sagaing Region’s Shwebo Township will be featured. Shwebo Win Cake has been famous for about 60 years in Shwebo and the majority of orders have been placed from Yangon. “Shwebo Win Cake is the best-seller among local products. It has nationwide orders and Yan gon is the biggest customer. Its flavour is pretty good so it is pop ular. It is one of the famous foods made in Shwebo,” said an official from Swelay Shwebo local products trading in Shwebo Township. The union-level MSME expo will take place from 10 to 14 February in Nay Pyi Taw and at Sagaing Region’s local foods booth, Kho Taung Mont Ti (rice noodle salad), YeU sausage, ingredients for tea leaf salad, dried mutton meat, crispy tofu chips, Katha ferment ed fish, Shwebo Win Cake and aloe vera jam will be displayed. – Thit Taw/ZS

MELON and muskmelon are being exported to China and with good prices, the market potential has been fine. “At present, there is export of melon and muskmelon and prices are good. We can fetch a good price and at the same time, transport costs are getting higher.
Currently, we are exporting fruits from Mongla and it is a distant journey. It is the nature that we can make profits or face loss sometimes,” said an official from Khwanyo Fruits wholesale trading centre.
The price of melon is now about 3000 yuan per tonne while muskmelon price is 5,000-6,000 yuan per tonne, he said. Since last October, melon and muskmelon export has been done through Mongla, and despite the trade has been promising, the longer journey made some delays, he added.
If melon and muskmelon are fresh, they are favourable and can fetch good prices, he said, that is why the fruit exports require quality, he added.
Similarly, the melon trade has been also fine in the domestic market. — MT/ZS

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

OTTAWA will file a World Trade Organization claim against US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and also seek redress under a regional free trade deal, a Canadian official said Sunday.
“The Canadian government clearly considers these tariffs to be a violation of trade commitments that the United States has taken,” the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told a briefing.
After weeks of threats, Trump on Saturday signed off on 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian imports except energy resources, which will be hit with a 10 per cent levy.
“We will obviously pursue the legal recourse that we believe we have through the agreements that we share with the United States,” the official said, citing the WTO and US-Mexico-Canada agreement (CUSMA) that Trump himself signed in 2018.
A review of the pact, which a Canadian official called a “gold standard agreement”, was due to be held next year.
Ottawa also unveiled on Sunday a list of 1,256 American goods it plans to target in a first round of counter tariffs worth Can$30 billion starting on Tuesday.
The list includes cosmetics, appliances, tires, tools, plastics, furniture, coffee, wines and spirits, dairy and fruits. Officials said the Canadian tariffs do not target specifically Republican states, but aim to put pressure on lawmakers with influence over Trump, who are more likely to be Republicans.
A second round of counter tariffs could be announced in the coming weeks, when total amount of the products targeted would rise to Can$155 billion (US$106 billion).
“Our hope is that the actions we have taken already will be sufficient to persuade the United States that it has gone down the wrong path and that they will reach out to work with us on how to get back to a more normal state,” an official said. — AFP

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

Kawlin   January 30
A total of 13,186 acres of peanuts were planted during the winter crops planting season in Kawlin District, Sagaing Region, according to the statistics of the Department of Agriculture for Kawlin District.
In the 2024-2025 winter crops planting season, 9,088 acres of peanuts were planned to be planted in Kawlin District, and 13,186 acres have been planted to date since October 2024.
“It is in a successful position as an oilseed crop. Peanut cultivation has increased year by year,” said U Win Thein, head of the Department of Agriculture for Kawlin District.
In Kawlin District, peanut cultivation by townships was as per following: 6,138 acres in Kawlin Township, 2,378 acres in Wuntho Township, and 4,670 acres in Pinlebu Township, totaling 13,186 acres.
In Kawlin District, one acre of peanuts is planted with one and a half basket of seeds, and it is reported that it cost more than 200,000 kyats including the cost of seeds, labor costs, fertilizer and pesticide costs, and if one acre is planted, it yields more than 50 baskets.

Source: Yadanarbon Newspaper