In southern Chin state, trade in elephant foot yam (EFY) has increased dramatically over the past decade. As Chinese and Japanese food manufacturers have increasingly sourced Myanmar EFY for processed food manufacturing, the price of EFY has risen and Chin farmers have taken up cultivation of the tuber in large numbers. Today EFY is a major cash crop in this region of intense poverty, and uptake has approached 100% of households in villages where it is produced. Whereas farmers once foraged the tuber and sold it fresh, today most growers process and dry and chip EFY themselves in order to capture more value in the value chain. As a result, EFY production in Chin state has increased in recent years and village growers have experienced some livelihood improvement. Furthermore, growers remain enthusiastic about EFY production as a source of income and view increased cultivation as a pathway to economic improvement. Nonetheless, despite the benefits of EFY cultivation most growers in Chin state continue to suffer the effects of poverty and face continued economic insecurity.
This study is conducted by MIID- Myanmar Institute for Integrated Development to understand the Elephant Foot Yam Value chain in Southern Chin State with recommendation on production and policy support to improve the income of growers in region.
For detail of the report, please click here
