Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing has called for measures to reduce the country’s reliance on imported fuel and edible oil, saying the imports consume large amounts of foreign currency each year.

Speaking at a Union Government meeting on July 7, he urged ministries and regional governments to expand domestic energy production by developing coal-fired and solar power projects to reduce fuel use for electricity generation.

He also stressed the need to improve the railway network, expand train services, and introduce battery-powered locomotives to cut fuel consumption in the transport sector, saying such measures would help reduce fuel imports and support economic growth.

The president further encouraged the domestic production of electric vehicles (EVs), saying that assembling and manufacturing EVs entirely within Myanmar would create jobs, promote technology transfer, lower production costs, and reduce dependence on imports.

The meeting was attended by the president, vice presidents, Union ministers, senior officials, while regional and state chief ministers joined via video conference.