"Arkhar Ma Lay" Akhar Traditional Comstume Production

In Myanmar daily life, various types of tea leaves are favorite food for the society. Some kinds of tea leaf products are black tea, dried tea and fermented tea. Lotus plant has valuable sign of religion in Myanmar. A unique fabric from the lotus fibers is produced only at Inle Lake, which is used for weaving special robes for Buddhist monks (called Kya Thingahn) and for creating traditional handicrafts. One of the popular traditional handicrafts is Akha costumes such as jacket, handbag, scarf and embroidery handmade wove. Akha costumes woven fabrics are mostly produced in eastern Shan State. The use of smokeless tobacco (SLT) among adults in Myanmar is also very high, when compared to similar prevalence in other Asian countries. The most common SLT product is raw or cured tobacco, which is used as the main condiment ingredient in betel quid. A variety of tobacco products are used in the betel quid preparation: e.g., dried raw tobacco leaves or cured and roasted tobacco leaves, or tobacco leaves including stems, treated with alcohol and honey, scented tobacco soaked in honey and water (Black Water), and varieties of tobacco mixed with flavors and fragrances. Coffee was first introduced to Myanmar (formerly Burma) in 1885 by British colonists, when missionaries established some small farms up around Shan State. Over the last several years, however, several organizations have begun to put more focus on the coffee trade as the Myanmar economy has opened up. The climate in Myanmar’s highlands – hot days, cool nights – lends itself well to coffee cultivation. Given the relative predictability of very, very dry and hot weather during harvest season, it is particularly well suited to natural processing, though a significant amount of washed coffee is also produced. Currently, Myanmar produces about 7,500 tons of coffee annually, 80% of which is Arabica. Mandalay and Shan State produce the majority of the coffee in Myanmar.