Businesses in Kanchanaburi province have again called for the government to help negotiate with Myanmar to ease goods transport via the province's checkpoints, saying rigid procedures curb the growth of border trade.
Trucks face problems at Baan Phu Namron, close to the Dawei development project, as Myanmar requires drivers of every Thai truck to change to its vehicles as the countries have yet to settle cross-border procedures, said Panya Vutthiprajak, secretary-general of the Kanchanaburi Chamber of Commerce.
Many trucks using the checkpoint are carrying construction materials such as cement and steel, with demand set to soar to serve the ambitious Dawei deep-sea port scheme.
Myanmar and Thailand are scheduled to allow firms looking to join the Dawei scheme to submit bids for its first three projects by the end of next February.
The projects are a dual-lane highway linking Thailand with Dawei, a small port and an industrial estate.
Dawei SEZ Development Co (DSEZ), a new special-purpose vehicle for the project, is expected to award concessions for the projects by next year's second quarter.
DSEZ is expected to open bids for the road construction linking Baan Phu Namron to Dawei project early next year.
Mr Panya said the province is also expanding the road linking Kanchanaburi to Baan Phu Namron from two to four lanes, with construction due to be completed next year.
Thailand's leading industrial land developer, Amata Corporation, also plans to set up an industrial estate on 10,000 acres, five kilometres from the Thai border.
In October, the government allocated 800 million baht to set up a new border immigration checkpoint in two years in Baan Phu Namron to handle expected growth in trade from the Dawei project.
It will be the country's biggest checkpoint and will also increase regional connectivity when the Asean Economic Community is launched in late 2015.
Mr Panya said the Kanchanaburi chamber expects exports via the province's checkpoints to Myanmar to increase by at least 20-30% next year because of higher demand, especially when Myanmar starts establishing a new town on 5,000 rai of land near Amata's industrial estate.
Export value via Kanchanaburi's checkpoints at Baan Phu Namron and Three Pagodas was projected at 1.6 billion baht this year, up from 1.5 billion last year.