Dried nipa palm bud producers in Arakan State grapple with rising commodity prices

By DMG 19 Apr 2022

DMG Newsroom
19 April 2022, Sittwe 

Nipa palm bud producers in Arakan State are reportedly facing financial losses due to rising commodity prices. 

Producers of dried nipa palm buds are facing losses due to a mismatch between production costs and sales revenue, and a lack of consumers in the market, said Ma Ngwe Ngwe Aye, the owner of a dried nipa palm bud small business in Sittwe. 

“We are not able to sell dried nipa palm buds at a reasonable price due to the high price of bags. Currently, we have a small number of dried nipa palm bud consumers, so we are at a loss. We have stopped buying dried nipa palm buds,” she told DMG. 

If commodity prices continue to rise, dried nipa palm buds will have to be sold at a higher price, Ma Ngwe Ngwe Aye added. 

There are many nipa palm plantations along the coast of Arakan State, and an increase in the number of consumers of dried nipa palm buds would help farmers to turn a profit, said U Tun Min, the owner of a nipa palm farm in Manaung Township. 

“I sold nipa palm buds for K500 per bunch a year ago. I made around K500,000 by selling nipa palm buds last year, so it was convenient for us,” he said. “We will not be able to earn extra income [this year] as people are reluctant to buy nipa palm buds. Dried nipa palm buds are good for health and are suitable for human consumption. It would be nice for us if companies could continue to buy dried nipa palm buds.” 

Dried nipa palm bud is said to have medicinal qualities, and is used to treat diabetes and high blood pressure.