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

An average factory with a production capacity of 3,000 longyi per month will require on
average about one truckload of woodfuel per month for dyeing. The cost of woodfuel in yarn dyeing
is about 2.5 kyats per piece of longyi which sells for about 100 kyats, ie. the share of the woodfuel
cost is about 2.5% of the selling price. Woodfuel from the Yinmabin area is becoming expensive
due to the increase in transport costs and some users are also using locally available mesquite
wood and fuelwood coming from the inundated areas of the Kinda Dam.
6.2.4 Brick Kilns
Brick production is a booming business as construction in the urban centres is expanding
both in the study area and else-where. There are many small brick kilns located in and around the
dry zone which all use woodfuel for burning the bricks. The largest factory has a production
capacity of about 1 million bricks per year. However, bricks are only produced in the dry season
which lasts about 5 months. Most of the woodfuel comes from Yinmabin and the consumption has
been estimated at 450 lans or 2,000 stacked tons per year. Fuelwood used for firing a piece of
brick costs about 0.26 kyats while bricks sell at about 1 kyat per piece.
Figure 6.10 A medium sized brick production center using
a Bull's trench kiln fired with fuelwood
Besides brick factories, there are also 17 lime kilns in the study area about which little is
known except that their number has increased considerably during the last 5 years, especially near
the woodfuel resource area on the hills. Both brick and lime-kilns do not require a particular type
of fuelwood but most owners prefer fuelwood which gives soft but long lasting flames.
31