Tapioca powder sales surge amid high Chinese demand despite steady prices

Tapioca powder price has been steady, though its sales have been good due to high demand from China, according to the yam growers.
Tapioca is harvested in winter every year, so there is no harvesting time in summer, though it has been sold in powder form, and its sale is good at present.
“The wholesale price of tapioca powder is around K3,000 a viss. It has been steady. Now, the trade of yam tubers is over, and it is time for powder to be used for all purposes. It can be substituted for wheat and can be made into sago seeds. For farmers, they hope for a high price. It was previously K2,800-K3,000. Most of the buyers are from China. They buy powder and produce finished products. Farmers earn from it,” said a yam grower.
Sago seed, which is one of Myanmar’s foods, is produced from sago plants as well as tapioca plants, and most of the sago seeds available in the market are made from tapioca. It has a high content of carbohydrates and sago produced from the sago plant and tapioca are no different.
China and India are the biggest buyers of tapioca powder, and Myanmar lies between the two countries. Therefore, tapioca is a crop which can seek foreign earnings for Myanmar.
In the past, tapioca was grown traditionally, but it has switched to the framing method, which can help increase yield. Yam tubers can be dug in eight months, and production of finished products may decline if it is dug after 15 months. For making seedlings, they can be dug after ten months, and a chance of reaching the plant stage may be low if it is dug after 15 months. — Thit Taw/ZS