Bitter beans (Parkia speciosa) have been sold pretty well in PyinOoLwin, Mandalay Region, and it has received many orders from Yangon Region.
“Bitter beans sale has been good in PyinOoLwin. We have orders from other towns and foreign countries, such as Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, where this crop is expensive. Most orders are from Yangon. There are bitter bean trees in Yangon’s Hmawby township, and there are plantations in other areas,” said an owner of a bitter bean shop in PyinOoLwin.
Currently, in PyinOoLwin, the retail price of bitter bean is K2,000 per condensed milk tin, and the cost of bitter bean is K3,000 per condensed milk tin, K16,000 per pyi. Price varies depending on quality, according to bitter bean sellers.
“At present, bitter bean seeds are available in the market, so the sale of seeds has been good. Bitter bean is medicinal, and it can be eaten throughout the year by cooking the dried seeds after soaking them in water. Those who are really into this bean have stocked them at home. Bitter beans are mostly grown in Chin State and Tamu township as well as in PyinOoLwin. Bitter beans produced from Tamu are previously exported to India,” said an owner of the bitter bean shop in PyinOoLwin.
Bitter bean is one of the medicinal crops, and it has health benefits such as preventing constipation and improving the digestive system. It can help reduce body weight and can help sleep well if it is consumed three times a week.
There are bitter bean plantations in Tiddim and Tonzang townships, northern Chin State and fruit dealers from the Indian border annually come to purchase between December and March, but there is almost no trade this year as the border has been closed, according to farmers. — Thit Taw/ZS/ED
