Nearly 30 killed in two years, looking for expensive rare herb in Myanmar’s mountainous north

Local sources attribute the series of deadly accidents to the price of a medicinal herb, locally called Baychi, increasing from 200,000 kyats (3,600 baht) in 2021 to about 1 million kyats (18,000 baht) this year.

A local herb seeker, U Ran Htee, said: “In the past years, the price was just 40,000 kyats per viss [about 1.6 kg]. It was 200,000 kyats last year. About 20 people died in the previous year. They had to find the herb in various dangerous areas, such as valleys, mountain tops and steep cliffs. This kind of herb is very rare to find. We have heard seven have died this year. Even professional mountaineers cannot survive if they jump off. There have also been many cases of broken bones. A person can get a maximum of 2 visses.”

Baychi herb is usually grown at an altitude of over 8,000 feet. It has good demand and fetches a good price in China. The price is now about 700,000 to 1 million kyats.

According to local sources, nearly 30 people have died over the past two years including pregnant women. Most climbers do not usually wear protective equipment.

Putao district has six townships with a population of 91,257, according to the 2014 national census.

Eleven Media

Asia News Network