regional wood energy development programme in asia ... - CES (IISc)

Fuelwood is normally in the form of bondos (big round logs with a diameter of 8-12 inches).
The average fuelwood consumption per month is two truckloads at a cost of about 12,000 kyats.
The fuelwood input per viss of sugar produced, which sells for about 50 kyats, is only 0.8 kyats or
1.6% of the refined sugar output value. Even though the fuelwood share in the production cost is
low, many manufacturers are looking for local alternative sources of energy, eg. coconut shells etc.
6.2.2 Evaporated Milk Plants
There are, at present, 77 evaporated
milk plants in Thazi, Meiktila, Pyawbwe,
Mahlaing and Wundwin. The raw material,
fresh milk, is readily available here within the
dry zone. The evaporated milk, besides for
local consumption, finds its main markets in
Yangon and Taunggyi. The production of
evaporated milk started because the imported
variety became very expensive. The local
product is well accepted and is popularly
known in tea- shop jargon as "ordinary" in
contrast to "shai" which means a cup with
imported condensed milk.
The production capacity of evaporated
milk plants in the area varies from 80-200
viss (130-325 kg.) of evaporated milk per day.
The main source of energy used is bamboo
fuel (about 70% of the total) with
requirements ranging from 300-1,500
bundles of bamboo fuel per day per factory.
To produce a viss of evaporated milk, which
fetches a price of 90 kyats, about 3 viss of
the main ingredient, fresh milk, at the cost of
about 20 kyats/viss is required, besides
sugar. The cost of bamboo fuel is about 6
kyats per viss of the output or about 7% of
the selling price.
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Figure 6.7 Bamboo-fired furnace in
a milk evaporation plant
Producers consider this woodfuel cost
high and they are looking for alternatives although they know that the quality of evaporated milk
prepared with bamboo fuel is better. A variety of other possible sources of energy may include rice
husks and local mesquite wood collected from live-fences, fallow and wastelands. The cost of
these alternative sources is estimated to be about 2.40 kyats (rice husks) to 3 kyats (mesquite) per
viss produced. Time will tell whether these alternative fuels will be widely accepted considering the
quality standard of the product.