There are hardly more pieces of jade coming in the market in Mandalay as jade mining has to stop due to fighting in Hpakant area, one of the jade mines in Myanmar, according to Jade broker Stamping-Ground in Mandalay.
Jade brokers say that there has begun the scarcity of jade in broker stamping-ground in Mandalay. “There’s been scarcely jade coming in from the beginning of the rainy season last year. Jade becomes scarce and just poor grade is left. As high grade jade is no longer available, the price of it has surged. Demand has extremely exceeded supply” said U Myint Aye, a jade dealer.
Since the conditions of the jade market have fluctuated, businesses such as jade-smith and jade-cutting associated with jade have not operated, according to brokers.
“Just as jade has not come in any more, necklaces of jade beads can’t be produced any more. Because our businesses have to stop, workers suffer different hardships, said an owner of the jade cutting.
It is learnt that the jade dealers have no longer done well as there is no high grade jade in the market of broker stamping-ground in Mandalay although it is in grate demand and there are many brokers that many people have to depend on in the jade market.
“We want Kachin State to be a peaceful state as possible as it can be since fighting in Kachin State affects not only Kachin State but the whole country. Not only too much military budget but less income through production because of the stopped businesses may affect the country,” said an owner of the jade company.
http://www.myitmakhamediagroup.info/2013/01/15/the-scarcity-of-jade-and-kachin-battle/
