Burma Gem Sales and Statistics

*Updated 5/12/08

Burma gem sales figures aren’t always easy to come by, so we’ve compiled some, from the following sources: AFP = Agence France-Presse; BP = Bangkok Post; IPG = Irrawaddy; MT = Myanmar Times; NLM = New Light of Myanmar; PD = People’s Daily, China; YCD = Yangon City Development; XNA = Xinhua News Agency.

Annual (Spring) and Mid-Year (Fall) Myanma Gems Emporium

• March 2008 (45th): figures not announced
• November 2007 (16th): $185 million (MT); revised from $150 million (MT)
• March 2007 (44th): “biggest ever,” $185 million (AFP and XNA)
• October 2006 (15th): estimated at more than $125 million (MT)
• March 2006 (43rd): about $101 million (PD)
• October 2005 (14th): almost 70% of $48 million worth on offer (AFP)
• March 2005 (42nd): unknown sales of $29 million worth on offer (PD)
• October 2004 (13th): nearly $35 million (MT)
• March 2004 (41st): nearly $23 million (€18.5 million) (NLM)
• October 2003 (12th): over $17.9 million (€15.2 million) (NLM)
• March 2003 (40th): over $23 million (Pala)
• October 2002 (11th): topped $30 million (MT)
• March 2002 (39th): about $20 million (MT)
• October 2001 (10th): about $9.5 million (Pala)
• March 2001 (38th): about $10 million (NLM)
• October 2000 (9th): over $16.5 million, double the previous year (IPG)
• March 2000 (37th): about $25 million, breaking the 1990 record (XNA)
• March 1990 (27th): about $14.8 million, a record until 2000 (XNA)
• Total sales:
  • 1964–2003 – $400 million (MT)
  • 1964–April 2006 (pre-summer sales) – over $500 million (IPG)
  • 1964–October 2006 (before Oct. mid-year sale) – over $600 million (PD)
  • 1964–November 2007 – over $1.28 billion (Pala estimate based on statistics above and below)

Other Sales

• 24th Gems & Jade Sales 2007 (UMEHL, Jan 15–19, 2008): 357 jade lots (out of 1,214 offered) and 247 gem lots (out of 397) were sold, but no monetary figures (NLM)
• Unnumbered Sale (UMEHL, December 2007): No figures available
• 23rd Gems & Jade Sales 2007 (UMEHL, Aug 21–28, 2007): 404 jade lots (of 1,121 offered) were sold; 315 gem lots were offered; no monetary figures (NLM)
• Special Sale of Gems, Jade and Pearls (July 4–16, 2007): estimated at over $185 million based on its being the “biggest ever gem auction” (AFP and MT)
• 22nd Gems & Jade Sales 2007 (UMEHL, Jan 30–Feb 3, 2007): 335 jade lots (out of 943 offered), 204 gem lots (out of 308) were sold, but no monetary figures (NLM)
• 21st Gems & Jade Sales 2006 (UMEHL, Aug 28–Sep 1, 2006): 321 jade lots (out of 1,029 offered) and 224 gem lots (out of 312) sold, but no monetary figures (NLM)
• Myanmar Jade, Gems & Pearls (Jun–Jul 2006): estimated at $125 million, topping the (March) 2006 annual emporium (MT)
• 20th Gems & Jade Sales 2006 (UMEHL, Jan 16–19, 2006): unknown jade lots (out of 986 offered) and unknown gem lots (out of 286) sold; no monetary figures (NLM)
• 19th Gems & Jade Sales 2005 (UMEHL, Aug 9–13, 2005): 412 jade lots (out of 747 offered) and 309 gem lots (out of 406) sold; no monetary figures (NLM)
• 18th Gems & Jade Sales 2005 (UMEHL, Jan 24–27, 2005): 199 jade lots (out of 308 offered) and 246 gem lots (out of 317) sold; no monetary figures (NLM)

Trade Figures

• Jade and gem exports (including pearls?), 1/07–12/07 – $562 million (YCD; BP)
• Myanma Gems Enterprise exports, fiscal year 4/06–3/07 – $296.9 million (PD; MT)
  • Third place, behind oil and natural gas ($2.16 billion) and timber ($519 million)
• Jade (and gem?) sales/exports, fiscal year 4/05–3/06 – $205.47 million (XNA; MT)
  • Fourth largest foreign exchange earning export sector
• From May 2004 MT special coverage
  • Precious stone exports: about $60 million from Burma
  • Private gem trading companies: about 1,000 in Burma
  • Tons of jade produced: for fiscal year 4/02–3/03, 10,000—a nearly tenfold increase over FY 1995–96
  • Buyers: Thailand buys 90% of Burmese rubies

Gem and Jade Production Figures 1988–2007

Sources: Production figures are updated on a monthly basis at the Central Statistical Organization, of the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development. The CSO data include gemstones broken down by these types: ruby, sapphire, spinel, and peridot.
Other Sources: NLM, p. 4 of a PDF, poss. slow download.

• Gem blocks
  • 1988 – 8
  • 2005 – 635
• Gem production (1000s of cts)
  • 1988 – 126
  • FY 2003–04 – 58,275
  • FY 2004–05 – 47,979
  • FY 2005–06 – 28,459
  • FY 2006–07 – 20,879
  • * 4/2007–1/2008 – 19,161
• Jade blocks
  • 1988 – 3
  • 2005 – 1,202
• Jade production (1000s of kilos)
  • 1988 – 130
  • FY 2003–2004 – 10,754
  • FY 2004–05 – 14,987
  • FY 2005–06 – 20,390
  • FY 2006–07 – 20,458
  • * 4/2007–1/2008 – 15,783
• Gem/mining joint-venture/profit-sharing with private companies: 10 (PD)

Pearl Production Figures 1988–2007

Sources: Production figures are updated on a quarterly basis at the Central Statistical Organization, Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development.
Other Sources: NLM, p. 4 of a PDF, poss. slow download; XNA; MT

• Camps
  • 1988 – 2
  • 2005 – 9
• Production area (sq. km.): 2007 – 25,600
• Production (pieces):
  • 2002–03: 117,852
  • 2006–07: 400,000+
• Production (mommes):
  • 1988 – 8,488
  • FY 2003–04 – 72,575
  • FY 2004–05 – 124,207
  • FY 2005–06 – 177,692
  • FY 2006–07 – 240,596
  • * 4/2007–1/2008 – 94,145 (XNA)
• Producers: Dec. 2007 – 3 foreign, 2 local; down from 6 total in Oct. 2007; also 3 farms run by official Myanmar Pearl Enterprise (MT, Mar. 2008)
• Year production began: 1956
• Investment of Burma–Japan partnership in production: 2007 – $8.47 million

Mining Statistics

Source: XNA dated 6/17/07

• Percent of mining sector to national economy (includes gold, copper, etc.) – 0.4 percent

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