According to the tamarind growers, the local people are selling the fresh, ripe tamarind at regular price in the harvest season in Mese township in Kayah State.
The tamarind trees grow mostly in tropical regions. They can be harvested only once a year in summer. Myanmar people use tamarind in their daily cuisines besides using them in producing traditional medicines. The tamarind is fully grown in March, and it earns the family an extra income.
“Last year, the tamarind with seeds was sold for K700 per kilo to Thailand. Currently, the bilateral trade routes are closed temporarily, and the tamarinds are sent only to Loikaw town. The tamarinds with seeds are sold for K500 per viss, while the tamarinds without seeds are sold for K3,000 per viss. But in this harvest season, the tamarinds are sold only at the regular price,” said a tamarind seller.
Some tamarinds produced in the regions are thick in the skin with small seeds, while some are thin in the skin with larger grains. Myanmar tamarinds are exported regularly to Bangladesh and India every year. Tamarind trees are mostly found in the central regions of Myanmar — Mandalay, Sagaing and Magway. Tamarind is also a lucrative export item. —Wit Yee (IPRD)/GNLM
