China buys Myanmar coconut to make shell charcoal

According to coconut traders, Chinese demand for coconut shell charcoal is rising.
“There is coconut shell charcoal. It sells well in the export market. Empty coconut shells are left after taking out the white Kernel. Carbon is produced to make charcoal. The Chinese buy as much as they can get. The market is big,” said U Than Sin of Bo Ohn Tnee Coconut Trading in Pathein.
As summer approaches, coconut prices and demand for coconut are rising.
“As summer approaches, coconut price rises. The same amount goes up in the towns if it rises by K100 or K200 at lower market levels. The wholesale price is around K1,000 per coconut while the retail price can be K1,200, K1,400 or K1,500, depending on the variety,” he said.
Mandalay is the biggest coconut market in Myanmar, and buyers from China and Thailand purchase coconuts from Mandalay.
“We send coconuts to Mandalay, and then they go to China. We send them to Myawady for Thailand. There are also boat buyers from Bangladesh. Export is seasonal, only after the rainy season is over. Until then, we sell in the domestic market,” a trader who distributes over 1,000 tonnes of coconuts yearly. – Thit Taw/ZN