Power outages fuel demand for charcoal and firewood in Arakan State

By DMG 17 Dec 2022

DMG Newsroom
17 December 2022, Sittwe

Lengthy power outages are fueling demand for charcoal and firewood in Arakan State, according to charcoal and firewood sellers.

Previously, it was predominantly households without access to electricity that bought charcoal and firewood, but households in urban areas are also buying charcoal and firewood now, said sellers.

Demand has more than doubled thanks to frequent blackouts, said charcoal seller Daw Waing Che from Setyonesu Ward in Sittwe.

“Normally, around 10 sacks of charcoal sold out a day. Now, around 30 sacks are sold out per day,” she said.

The price of charcoal has also increased from K7,000 per sack to around K9,000 per sack now in Sittwe. The price of firewood has also increased from K500 to K1,000 per bundle now, according to sellers.

Daw Khin Saw Nwe, owner of Myo Thit curry house in Sittwe, said her business is suffering due to power cuts.

“I have to use charcoal for cooking now because we only have around five hours of electricity a day. A sack of charcoal only lasts for three days,” she said.

Charcoal and firewood sellers are facing shortages of raw materials, seller U Khin Maung Than from Lin Pan Kya Village told DMG.

“The demand for charcoal and firewood has increased lately. However, we can’t get firewood as much as we want, and we can’t therefore make enough charcoal to meet the demand,” he said.

Increased demand for charcoal and firewood will result in deforestation, warned environmentalist Ko Myo Lwin from Ann Township.

“Charcoal producers have increased their production due to high demand. But it can negatively affect the environment. There are few mature trees now,” he said. Deforestation will leave people more vulnerable in cases of natural disaster, he added.

Arakan State has experienced frequent and prolonged blackouts since November, according to residents.