Lotus Fiber Production: Creating job opportunities for locals in Salin Township

Lotus plants and flowers naturally grown in Wat Thel Lake in Salin Township not only enhance the beauty of the township but also create job opportunities for the local residents.

Wet Thel Lake was designated as a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1953.Previously, there were only a few lotus fiber businesses in Salin Township. Nowadays, the development processes of lotus fiber production are being carried out to extend lotus fiber businesses.

Lotus fiber are produced from lotus stems and the length of a lotus stem is about 7 inches. The residents gather lotus stems to sell them to the lotus fiber productions or use them in their own handicraft businesses. Each person can gather 5 to 6 packs of lotus stem in a day. About 24.6 grams of lotus fiber can be extracted from a pack of lotus stem and it takes a half and hour to extract a pack of lotus stem.

The amount of dried lotus fiber produced in a day can be different due to the extractors. Then, the extracted lotus fibers need to be dried in open air to get dried lotus fibers. And, these dried lotus fibers are distributed to Inlay Region to produce finished products such as lotus robe and lotus scarf. Currently, there are only fiber production businesses in Salin Township and they need to be encouraged and supported to produce value-added lotus fiber products.