Sale of toddy-palm chair declines in Kyaukpadaung

The Indawkyay village in Kyaukpadaung Township is engaged in toddy-palm chair making business and the local people are manufacturing a lot of toddy-palm chairs. But this year, the demand of toddy-palm chair has dropped significantly, said U Win Naing, a toddy-palm chair maker.
The Indawkyay village is manufacturing toddy-palm chairs, palm tables and palm boxes. The village is located on Kyaukpadaung-Meiktila road and it is five miles far from Kyaukpadaung. The village collects the toddy-palm yearly and is making many toddy-palm chairs. They are generating the family income from selling the toddy-palm chairs.
The toddy-palm chairs from Indawkyay village are shown on the road. The local people visiting Bagan-NyaungU archaeological site stop their cars and buy the chairs when they go back to their places.
Last year, the toddy-palm chairs sold well. But this year, the sale of toddy-palm chairs has dropped significantly because there is a few numbers of local tourists.
The palm chair makers are buying the branches of toddy palm for K 50 per one to make the toddy-palm chairs.
Other materials such as hammer and nails are needed to make the toddy palm chairs. They sell a chair for K 4,500 for a normal chair and K 6,000 for a reclining one.
The price of toddy boxes depends upon the size and the design.
This year is one of the bad sales of the toddy palm chairs in Indawkyay village in Kyaukpadaung Township, U Kyaw Kyaw Naing explained.—Ko Htein (KPD)/GNLM