Increased supply of paddy and rice forces prices down by 10 per cent: PADDY and rice prices dropped by 10 per cent over the past month, according to sources from the biggest wholesale market in Yangon.Top quality paddy variety Paw-san-hmwe was traded during the second week of this month at Kyats 300,000 for 100 baskets (two tonnes), down from K330,000 early last month.The price for the same variety of rice also went down to Kyats 13,500 for a 108-pound bag from K15,000 during the same period... Work begins on Myanmar Bangladesh highway: A SURVEY for the construction of a highway linking Myanmar and Bangladesh will begin next month, a diplomatic source said last Thursday.The 60-kilometre highway linking Taknaf in Bangladesh?s... Tourist cruise liner to dock in Yangon: THE biggest cruise liner to visit Myanmar will anchor off the Thilawa deep-water port, about 50 kilometres south of Yangon, next month... Sugarcane farmers rejoice as Government price skyrockets: THE SUGARCANE industry is set to boom again following an announcement by the government that the price paid to farmers for their cane will be increased by about 70 per cent... Outrage over US claims of ‘failure to fight drugs?: THE government has dismissed as ?patently untrue” claims by the United States last week that Myanmar had failed in the fight against drug production and trafficking... Mindreading the key to business success: MYANMAR Marketing Research and Development managing director, Peter Thein, sees educating his clients about the benefits of consumer research as a big part of his job. Too often in Myanmar, the tools of promotion are restricted to copying competitors, with little innovation... Competitive soap market in a lather: LOCALLY-PRODUCED soaps have now captured 90 per cent of the market, according to local producers, and the value of this share is set to rise... Consumer interest in dairy products grows: CHANGING lifestyles in Myanmar is encouraging new eating habits, and milk and milk products are one item growing in popularity under the change... Beauty industry undergoing a facelift: ‘BEAUTY is in the eye of the beholder?, the saying goes ? but for centuries women, and men, have been trying to find it in a jar, bottle or tube.The worldwide beauty industry is now worth US$160 billion a year, and has been growing exponentially for over a decade... Soft drink companies compete for 1 million gulps a day: ONE MILLION Myanmar a day are finding relief from the heat in a bottle of soft drink, according to industry producers. This includes 300 million bottles of carbonated soft drinks (CSD) consumed during 2002, by 10.7 million people above the age of 12... Water - profit in a bottle: IN 2001, a research project commissioned by a Swiss-based conservation group, the World Wide Fund for Nature, indicated that bottled water is often no healthier or safer to drink than tap water... Quality the key for spirits: BRAND loyalty is the key to the liquor market, industry sources say, as regular consumers have become quality-conscious.Grand Royal Whisky manufacturer International Beverages Trading Co Ltd?s marketing manager, Ko Yan Naing Soe Myint, said consumers are becoming more knowledgeable about daily products, including their own choice of liquor, because of wider access to information... Outside competition gives local confectionery run for its money: CONFECTIONERY producers in Myanmar are experiencing a bitter-sweet business climate. Competition from the more popular Thai imports, and a decrease in consumer spending, is hurting them despite the increasing quality in locally-produced confectionery... New plantation to reduce reliance on imported cooking oil: LOCALLY produced cooking oils are struggling to expand their market share because of cheaper imports, but big plans are being made to turn this around... Monsoon boom for mosquito coils: MOSQUITO coil manufacturers are experiencing a boom as more households use the coils to prevent mosquito-borne diseases, market sources said... Frozen food options attract growing number of consumers: THE NUMBER of consumers looking to pre-packaged, frozen foods is growing, despite a cooling in the consumer goods sector, a Myanmar Times survey has found... Competition hot in coffee mix market: IF YOU spend just a few minutes in front of the goggle box during prime time TV commercials, you?ll soon realise just how tough the competition is amongst suppliers of all manner of local and imported goods... Back from Mandalay, with a suitcase of sticky rice in tow: THE MANDALAY traditional snack, htoe mont, may be just a small bundle of sticky rice mixed with nuts and seeds, but it is a big player in the consumer snack market in Myanmar. Invited to all the best parties ? from wedding receptions, to religious occasions ? htoe mont conjures up happy memories for a snack-loving nation... Pickled tea a traditional favourite: What we usually call laphet (pickled tea leaves) is Myanmar?s favourite dessert. The Myanmar laphet tradition is as old as the Orient itself or may predate the lust for chocolate of the Occident... Fancy cakes keep bakery ovens hot: FANCY cakes are keeping the cake business alive, local industry sources told Myanmar Times.Deputy general manager of A&T Bakery and Confectionery, Daw Sandar Minn, said the cake and biscuit part of the company?s business had been increasing since they began operations in 1997, but had recently faltered... Would you like seasoning with that? IT is not possible to make a delicious curry without a suitable seasoning powder. They are the lifeblood, so to speak, of many a Myanmar dish... Nats and shopkeepers prepare for banana and coconut fest: WHOLESALERS and retailers of coconuts and green bananas are preparing for a surge in sales next month... Myanmar discovers soothing effects of ornamental fish: KEEPING ornamental fish at home, the office or in restaurants is increasingly popular in Myanmar... • Few storms, less rainfall • Fire brigade expands capacity • Australia injects $300,000 into ICRC • Instant noodle market off the boil as monsoon reduces sales • New French Ambassador • Astrological website to supplement magazine • Deputy ministers appointed • Air Mandalay boosts capacity • NGO donates drinking water • Leaf fertilisers increase crop production... Clean water and STD awareness projects for Dala; JICA continues support for leprosy eradication project; New hearse donated for free funerals; Killer plant warning; Heavy machinery sales and rental profits steady; Cashew cultivation pick of the crop... • Training encourages marine security • Myanmar crane hire business still slow • ISO certification is a necessity: UMFCCI.