The depletion of mangrove forests in Tanintharyi Region has constrained the illicit crossborder trade, even as prices remain high, but small-scale producers in Myanmar’s deep south have few other ways to make a living.
A “collateral-free” loan scheme for small and medium enterprises launched by the Myanmar government in 2014 looks functional on paper, but business owners say it is nearly impossible to access and does not provide enough money to be useful.
BY Frontier
