Niger seed from hilly regions favoured in Mandalay market

It is known from the Mandalay traders that Niger seeds grown in hilly regions were fetching good prices in Mandalay market. Due to the favourable weather condition, the seeds yielded well this year.
The largest purchaser of the seed is India and followed by China. At the same time last year, the opening price of the seeds started K95,000 per 45-viss bag (73 kilogramme). However, the price has gone up to K175,000 per bag.
“These niger seeds are bought at home and abroad. They are ground into oil and used as frying oil in some snacks by bakeries. In foreign countries, besides its use as an edible oil, it is also used in the manufacturing of cosmetics and medicine.
Therefore, local farmers of Shan State are expanding their cultivation of a main crop and expecting to become their source of income,” said U Soe Win Myint, owner of Soe Win Myint brokerage in Mandalay.
“Compared to the last year’s price, the prices of niger doubled this year, but the seeds purchasing does not stop. In December, in Shan State areas, you can see the yellow flower niger fields as beautiful as a painting,” he added.
The niger can be grown as a winter crop only one season a year. Such a crop, which is a source of foreign income, is cultivated only in hilly areas.
They are grown in northern and southern Shan State, Kayah State, Kachin State and upper Sagaing Region. —Min Htet Aung (Mandalay Sub-printing House)/KZL