Action not taken yet against ‘Thanaka-brand’ cosmetics

Action has not been taken yet against the fake cosmetics that are being sold in the market in the name of Thanaka, said U Kyaw Moe, the chairman of Myanmar Thanaka Growers and Producers Association.
“We have planned to boost Myanmar Thanaka products and market. But, it is not possible to set up those plans currently. Also, we haven’t taken action against those who are selling fake Thanaka cosmetics in the market,” he added.
The department of consumer affairs needs to provide adequate protection under the law for the Myanmar Thanaka market’s sustainability. Myanmar Thanaka Growers and Producers Association inspected the shops selling the fake cosmetics under the Thanaka name that contains little or no Thanaka in Monywa town in September 2020. The association inspected in cooperation with the department of consumer affairs, the Food and Drug Administration Department, the municipal team and the Myanmar Police Force. “There would be more convenient for the Thanaka growers if they received funding support from the authorities to strengthen the Thanaka market. The cultivation of the Thanaka is too costly. The producers of Thanaka cosmetics don’t use raw Thanaka as much as they should. Hence, farmers lose revenue,” said U Aung Win, the Myanmar Thanaka Growers and Producers Association executive member.
Authorities submitted a proposal to UNESCO in March 2021 to include Myanmar Thanaka on the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The UNESCO team holds its meeting every three months and chooses the items for putting the selected items on the list of cultural heritage. Myanmar will know the result next December 2021 as to whether Thanaka will be listed in UNSECO or not.
In 2020, the Myanmar Thanaka Growers and Producers Association requested the Department of Archaeology and National Museum and Myanmar President Office to designate the full moon day of Tabodwe as Thanaka Day. Then, the Department of Archaeology and National Museum, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture decided to designate the full moon day of Tabodwe, which will fall on 19 February, as Thanaka day. There are nearly 200,000 acres of Thanaka plantations in the Sagaing region. Among them, Thanaka plantations are found mainly in Ayadaw Thanaka, with more than 100,000 acres. — Lulay/GNLM