Cheroots in Myanmar: Rural Development behind the Government Policy

Abstract

Cheroot, seboleik in Burmese, is a traditional and unique tobacco product made of tobacco and thanatphet (Cordia dicotoma Forst.) leaves in Myanmar. This paper examines the development process of production centers of the two materials for cheroot making, using information obtained by field surveys. The two centers were very different in ecological and cultural settings but have created strong interdependence between them. The centers had continuously grown, even under contrary agriculture policy and during political instability; the rural development was purely led by the local residents.