MYANMAR

INTRODUCTION

Main non-wood forest products

The most important NWFP are bamboo, rattan, edible bird nests and natural rubber. Other NWFP include spices, medicinal plants, straws, tanning barks, perfumes, exudates, honey and beeswax, bushmeat, lac and bat guano.

General information

About half of the total land area of Myanmar (676 777 km²) is covered with forests. These public forests are classified either as Reserved Forests or Unclassed Forests. The Reserved Forests have legal protection but the government allows rural communities to use the products of Unclassed Forests, with the exception of certain protected plant and animal species (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

In Myanmar, forest products are divided into commercial and minor forest produce. Minor forest produce is defined as "all kinds of forest produce other than timber and firewood", including animals, vegetables and mineral products. For rural communities depending on NWFP for subsistence and for trade, the NWFP are probably more important than timber or other forest products (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

Myanmar's NWFP can be divided into 13 groups according to their nature and uses: bamboo; cane (rattan); tanning bark; straw (bast); scented wood and bark; gum, resin and oleoresin; spice; roofing material; dyeing material; animal products; medicinal plants; edible products; other miscellaneous products (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

The Forest Department in Myanmar counts the following NWFP for trade purposes: bamboo, cane (rattan), cutch, tanning bark, straw (bast), karamet, indwe/pwenyet, thanatkha, hpala, kanyin oil, roofing materials, te, honey, beeswax, bat guano, thitsi, edible bird nests, lac, orchids, bomayaza and pine resin (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

Table 1. Annual production of selected NWFP in Myanmar, 1992 to 1995

Source: Forest Department, Myanmar (in Khin Maung Lwin 1995)

Table 2. Production of NWFP 1988 to 1995

Sources: Forestry Fact Sheet (1996); Statistical Year Book (1995) in APFSOS/WP/08 (in Qiang Ma 1999)

Table 3. Trade in NWFP from 1992 to 1997

Source: Ministry of Forestry, Myanmar (in Qiang Ma 1999)

Although NWFFP contribute revenue to the country and also provide income-generation opportunities for forest dwellers, they have a low economic profile (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

Table 4. Export quantities of selected NWFP

Source: Forest Department, Yangon Division in Khin Maung Lwin (1995)

PLANTS AND PLANT PRODUCTS

Food

The forests of Myanmar provide many spices for domestic use and also for export. Some important species include: hpala (cardamom) (Elettaria cardamomum), ngayok-kaung (black pepper) (Piper nigrum), peikchin (long pepper) (P. longum) and karawe (Cinnamomum spp.) (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

Most rural dwellers living near forests rely on edible plant products, such as buds, leaves, flowers, fruits, tubers, corms and shoots. Other seasonal foods are edible mushrooms and fungi. Besides nutrients, the forest food provides cash income for rural people (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

Medicines

Most rural people use traditional indigenous medicines. Recently, the Myanmar Medical Research Department and the pharmaceutical industry upgraded various indigenous medicines, which has resulted in an increase in demand for medicinal plants as raw materials. Some prominent medicinal plants include bomayaza (Rauwolfia serpentina), subyu (Acacia arabica), hnaw (Adina cordifolia), banbwe (Careya arborea), zibyu (Emblica officinalis), nalingyaw (Litsaea lancifolia), ondon (L. glutinosa), taw-shauk (Citrus medica) and pwegaing (Cassia angustifolia) (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

Utensils, handicrafts and construction materials

Bamboo is the most important NWFP of Myanmar. About 100 species grow in large quantities throughout the country, the most common bamboo species being kyathaung (Bambusa polymorpha), tin (Cephalostachyum pergracile), myin (Dendrocalmus strictus), kayin (Melocanna bambusoides), thana (Thyrsostachys oliveri), thaik (Bambusa tulda), wabo (Dendrocolmus brandisii), wabo-myetsangye (D hamiltoni), waphyu (D. membranaceus) and wagok (Oxytenanthera albo-ciliata) (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

Bamboo is used for utensils, handicrafts and construction materials. In addition pickled bamboo shoots are becoming very popular. As an industrial raw material, in Myanmar bamboo is used commonly by pulp and paper mills. With the scarcity of raw materials for pulp and paper factories in neighbouring countries, the future of bamboo as a raw material for paper and rayon making is very promising (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

About 36 species of canes or rattans grow in swampy areas of semi-evergreen and evergreen forests in Myanmar. The commonly used species are kyet-u-kyein (Calamus platyspathus), yamata-kyein (C. latifolius), kabaung-kyein (C. longisetus), ye-kyein (C. floribundus), kyein-bok (C. myrianthus) and thaing-kyein (C. erectus). Canes are used in log-rafting as binding materials, and in small-scale enterprises which produce furniture, baskets, handicrafts, mats, etc. Finished cane products have been exported, supposedly to produce more employment opportunities in collecting, processing and trading cane. Most cane however, is exported unprocessed at lower prices because of the poor processing technology and limited experience in trading (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

Traditionally, the people of Myanmar have used the straw (bast) of some plants for tying materials. Rural people still use traditional plant fibres while urban people nowadays use synthetic ropes. Plant fibre ropes are essential for domestic and farming activities in rural areas. Traditional mats (thinbyu) are woven with the best of thin (Clinogyne dichotoma) and the inner portions can be used as string. The families Sterculiaceae and Tiliaceae include good fibre-yielding plants which grow widely in Myanmar. The most important species for rope-making are shaw-ni (Sterculia villosa), shaw-gulu (S. urens), letpan-shaw (S. foetida), don-straw (S. ornata) and tayaw (Grewia spp.) (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

One of the most important NWFP is roofing thatch made from leaves. Common roofing materials include thetke (Imperata cylindrica), dani (Nypa fruticans), salu (Licuala peltata), in (Dipterocarpus tuberculatus) and taung-htan (Livistona spp.). The collection, processing and trading of roofing materials are income-generating part-time activities for rural people (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

Dyeing and tanning

Synthetic dyes have been introduced in the textile industry to replace natural dyes while the rural people continue to use natural dyes for certain purposes. The most important dye-yielding plant species are: meyaing (Indigofera spp.), pauk (Butea monosperma), megyi (Strobilanthes flaccidifolius), pein-ne (Artocarpus heterophyllus), nibase (Morinda spp.), tein-nyet (Caesalpinia sappan) and te (Diospyros burmanica) (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

Some of the tree species yielding tanning barks include ngushwe (Cassia fistula), tanaung (Acacia leucophloea) and some mangrove species of the family Rhizophoraceae. The expansion of the leather industry has had a positive influence on the demand for tanning barks (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

Cutch is extracted from the heartwood of she (Acacia caetechu) growing in dry areas of Myanmar. It is used as a dye and a preservative for fishing nets and canvas. The people enjoy chewing betel with katha, which is separated from cutch. Cutch also contains tannic acid and can be used as a tannin (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

Perfumes and cosmetics

Scented woods, including karamet (Mansonia gagei), nanthani (Pterocarpus santalinus), santagu (Santalum album), taungtan-gyi (Premna integrifolia) and thit-hmwe (Aquilaria agallocha) are used in fragrances, scented sticks and medicines. These species are rare in natural forests and consequently very expensive. The bark and wood of thanatkha (Hesperethusa caenulata) are the most popular traditional cosmetics in Myanmar. Thanatkha is in great demand and its price is high due to the increased manufacturing of cosmetics (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

Exudates

The most common species yielding gums, resins and oleoresins are thitsi (Melanorrhoea usitata), pine (Pinus spp.) (for rosin and turpentine), kanyin (Dipterocarpus alatus and D. tubinatus) (for oleoresin) and subyu (Acacia arabica) (for gum) (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

Others

About 840 species of orchids grow in Myanmar. Some of them are highly valuable and also exported. (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

ANIMALS AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS

Animals provide many valuable trade products, such as lac, edible bird nests, honey and beeswax, bat guano, hides, bones and horn (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

Honey and beeswax

Wild honey is preferred to the honey from the hives of beekeepers. Wild honey is used for preparing foodstuffs and in Myanmar's indigenous medicines. Two of the most common honey-bees in Myanmar, Apis indica and A. dorsata, are found throughout Myanmar (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

Bushmeat

Rural people hunt birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects (a major protein supplement) for food and to earn extra cash (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

Other edible animal products

Edible bird nests are composed of a white gelatinous substance secreted by the salivary glands of the grey rumped swiftlet (Collocalia inexpectata). These precious products used in indigenous Chinese tonics are obtained from natural caves in the Myeik Archipelago and on some islands off the Pathein coast. Only licensed traders controlled by the Forest Department can collect the nests, which produce good foreign exchange earnings (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

Other non-edible animal products

Lac is a resinous substance secreted by lac insects (Kerria lacca). Host trees are pauk (Butea monosperma), gyo (Schleichera oleosa), zi (Zizyphus jujuba), thinbaw-koko (Samanea saman) and ingyin (Shorea siamensis). In general the quality of lac depends on the species of the host tree (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

Bat guano is collected for use as a natural fertilizer, which gives high crop yields at low cost. The bats live in the rocky, mountainous areas of Myanmar (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

Rural people make good money selling the hides, bones and horns of forest animals. The hides of some animals are in great demand for the leather industry. Bones and horns are used for handicraft production and to decorate living rooms. Some tribes keep and wear some parts of the bones, horns and hides (Khin Maung Lwin 1995).

REFERENCES

Khin Maung Lwin. 1995. Myanmar. In Beyond timber: social, economic and cultural dimensions of non-wood forest products in Asia and the Pacific. RAP Publication 1995/13. Bangkok, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

Qiang Ma. 1999. Asia-Pacific Forestry Sector Outlook Study: Volume I – Socio-Economic, Resources and Non-Wood Products Statistics. Asia-Pacific forestry towards 2010. Asia-Pacific Forestry Sector Outlook Study. Working Paper No: APFSOS/WP/43. Rome, FAO Forestry Policy and Planning Division; Bangkok, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This report has been realized within the framework of the EC-FAO Partnership Programme "Sustainable Forest Management in Asia". The contents are based on available information at FAO headquarters in Rome.

Additional information on NWFP in Myanmar would be appreciated and duly acknowledged.

QUANTITATIVE DATA OF MYANMAR NWFP

Importance: 1 – high importance at the national level; 2 – high importance at the local/regional level; 3 – low importance

Parts used: an – whole animal; ba – bark; bw – beeswax; le – leaves; nu – nuts; fi – fibres; fl – flowers; fr – fruits; gu – gums;

ho – honey; la – latex; oi – oil; pl – whole plant; re – resins; ro – roots; sa – sap; se – seeds; st – stem; ta – tannins

Habitat: F – natural forest or other wooded lands; P – plantation; O – trees outside forests (e.g. agroforestry, home gardens)

Source: W – wild, C – cultivated

Destination: N – national; I – international