Domestic and export markets for Myanmar tiger grass brooms: A case study of Taunggya Village, Shan State

Abstract

Tiger grass (Thysanolaena latifolia Honda), a perennial grass often found in the swidden fallows of South and Southeast Asia, is one of the most important non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in Myanmar. It is traditionally used to make brooms for not only domestic consumption but also for export to other countries. This note presents preliminary analyses on domestic and export markets for Myanmar tiger grass brooms based on an interview survey on the market chain of tiger grass products from Taunggya Village in the Southern Shan State in January 2020 and export statistics for past 10 years. To aid our survey, we reviewed information on prices of tiger grass and its products in Myanmar. From the interview survey, we estimated that value-added prices of tiger grass products between producers and traders increase by almost double at the grass processing stage and by 5 8 times at the broom manufacturing stage around the Taunggya Village. On the other hand, exports of tiger grass (as raw material and broom products) drastically increased from 2014, suggesting increasing demand for tiger grass supply from local communities. The recent decline of swidden farming in Myanmar, however, replaced by permanent farming may result in habitat loss of tiger grass that grows only in the early stages of swidden fallows, which might lead to need for cultivation in some region to meet increasing demand for tiger grass.