Yangon market sees bulk supply of old tamarind stock amid harvest of fresh tamarind

Excessive supply of tamarind is expected at the end of the year when newly harvested ones flood the market, the sellers guessed.
The traders in the producing areas expected the price increase in 2022, yet the guess turns out to be wrong. The tamarind output in the upcoming season is expected to increase. As a result of this, the traders who keep the stocks in hand deliver their goods to Yangon markets these days, Ko Hla Han, a seller on Seinpan Street, told the Global New Light of Myanmar (GNLM).
The yield this year is expected to increase compared to last year’s output. The dealers usually make them an outright purchase and the price varies depending on the number of tamarinds and location of the plant, Ko Htay Win, told the GNLM.
Tamarind near the fences have losses despite the same yield. Therefore, the tamarind fruit buyers offer low prices for them. A tamarind plant is worth K50,000-K100,000 for harvesting the fruits.
The seed-removed tamarind is shipped to external markets and the price of tamarind depends on the quality and seed.
Tamarind was mostly used in the soft drink factories and places where cheroots are made. Now it is rarely used. The market relies on exports only. When the price is high in the domestic market, export volume drops accordingly. Those tamarinds produced in 2021 are still found in the markets, according to the tamarind market.
The prices of tamarind moved in the range of K2,100-K2,200 per viss. The seed-moved one fetched K2,800-K4,000 per viss in the first half of 2022. The price of seed-moved tamarind declined to K2,800-K3,700 per viss. The new tamarind is expected to enter the market in the upcoming Christmas. The opening price of raw tamarind stood at K2,500 in early 2020, K2,300 in 2021 and K2,000 in 2022.
The prices of edible oil, rice, chili pepper, onion, potato, sugar, jaggery and bean this year inched higher than those of the previous years. The price is still stable at present. It is hard to forecast the 2023 tamarind market as the supply of new tamarind is likely to flood the market in the upcoming season.—TWA/GNLM