Sale of toddy-palm chair declines in Kyaukpadaung

The Indaw Kyay village in Kyaukpadaung Township is being engaged in toddy-palm chair making business.
The local people are manufacturing many toddy palm chairs. This year, the toddy-palm chair’s demand has dropped significantly, said U Win Naing, a toddy-palm chair maker.
The Indaw Kyay 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 town.
The village collects the toddy-palm yearly and is making many toddy-palm chairs. They are generating family income from selling the toddy-palm chairs.The toddy-palm chairs from Indaw Kyay village are shown on the road.
The local people visiting Bagan-Nyaung-U archaeological site stop their car and buy the chairs when they go back to their place.
Last year, the toddy-palm chairs sold well. However, the sale of toddy-palm charm has dropped significantly this year because there are few local tourists.
The palm chair makers are buying the branches of toddy palm for K50 per one to make the toddy-palm chairs.
Other materials such as hammers and nails are needed to make the toddy palm chairs. They sell a chair for K4,500 for a normal chair and K6,000 for a reclining one.
The price of toddy boxes is dependent upon the size and the design.
This year is one of the bad sales of the toddy palm chairs in Indaw Kyay village in Kyaukpadaung Township, U Kyaw Kyaw Naing explained. — Ko Htein (KPD)/GNLM