Download NTFP classification

Excerpt from draft NTFP handbook (Greijmans e.a., 2005) on NTFP
classification systems
NTFP classification
There is considerable uncertainty in how to classify NTFPs and no uniform system has been adopted yet. It
is sometimes argued that this may not be possible because it depends much on specific importance of
NTFPs, stage of processing or even where they are wild or domesticated. However, most systems (Iqbal,
1995; FAO, 2002; Foppes, unpublished) have the tendency to first group NTFPs into end use groups and
then according to specific products, species, or plant parts, but also to the role they play in people’s lives.
Researchers and developers alike may try to term and classify NTFPs, but this should represent the
importance to people who depend most on them. When NTFPs are discussed at village level, a common
method is to classify them to: economic NTFPs ensuring cash income (mushrooms, paper mulberry), food
which ensuring daily needs to feed the family, medicinal NTFPs and those for household use, such as
bamboo canes for construction or making utensils. For the purpose of presenting NTFPs in this handbook
chosen is for a model, based primarily on FAO (2002) and Foppes (unpublished), by grouping NTFPs
according to what the product is primarily used for (livelihood and development context), and then divided
into plant parts used (conservation context) when necessary, see table 1.
Table 1: Most important NTFP end use groups
A. Food
Fruits: Baccaurea ramiflora
Stems/shoots: bamboo and rattan shoots
Tubers/roots: Dioscorea hispida
Leaves: Melientha suavis
Nuts/seeds: Arenga westerhouttii
Flowers: Markhamia stipulata
Spices: Zanthoxylum rhetsa
Mushrooms: Lentinus sp.
Food oils and gums:
Fodder (for animals): Albizia procera
B. Medicines
Fruits: Rhus chinensis
Stems/shoots: Coscinium fenestratum
Tubers/roots: Smilax grabra
Leaves: Plumbago indica
Nuts/seeds: Strychnox nux vomica
Flowers: Clerodendrum paniculatum
Bark: Clausena harmandiana
Wood: Draceaena loureiri
A.
in Lao PDR with some examples
C. Fibres
Bamboo: canes
Rattan: canes
Leaf fibre: Pandanus sp.
Stem fibre:
Bark fibre: Broussonetia papyrifera
Grass: Thysanolaena latifolia
D. Extracts
Gums: Boehmeria malabarica
Gum resin: Garcinia sp.
Resin: Shorea obtusa
Oleoresin: Dipterocarpus alatus
Latex: rubber
Tannin: Pentace burmanica
Dye: Diospyros mollis
Essential oil: Aquilaria sp.
Stimulants: betel nut
Insecticides: Azadirachta indica
E. Ornamentals
Orchids, ferns and curcuma flowers
F. Charcoal and (fuel) wood
G. Animal products (separate group)
Plant foods are edible plant products such as forest fruits and seeds, flowers, rhizomes, tubers, roots,
barks, etc. which have a primary purpose to be consumed, to flavour foods (spice) or to facilitate food
preparation (edible oil). Fodder is edible for cattle and is placed in this group too.
Glutinous rice is the staple food and the most important food source in Lao PDR. When meeting a Lao
person one of the first greetings is if you are well: sabai dee boh?, followed by if you have eaten rice yet:
gin khao lew boh?. Almost always you get invited to have rice together. This shows both the importance of
health and rice in the life of Laotians. Food is a central issue in Laos and a welcome subject for discussion.
However, in times of rice shortages other food products become relatively more vital, leading to an
increased demand and gathering of NTFPs. Often the poorest people have limited access to paddy fields or
fertile land (upland and arid areas) and as a result directly depending on NTFPs for food. The availability
and use of NTFPs provides a low-cost survival system or a so-called “safety net”. For example, various
species of wild tubers are used widely as buffers against seasonal and emergency shortages. Fish from
forest streams are a major protein source, in some lowland areas to as high as 70-90%, playing a critical
role in providing food security. It is estimated that 37% of the Lao population is vulnerable to food
insecurity (McLennon, 2004). For that reason it is not surprising that local people have such a diverse diet
of forest foods:
1
Main categories of forest foods, recorded in
fish: Baird et al, 1999).
No
Category
No products
1
Fruits, seeds
87
2
Leaves
86
3
Shoots
23
4
Tubers, roots
22
5
Mushrooms
16
6
Flowers
4
ALL PLANTS
238
1
Fish
300
2
Birds
63
3
Mammals
54
4
Reptiles, amphibians
41
5
Molluscs
7
6
Insects
5
ALL ANIMALS
470
TOTAL
708
(Source: Foppes and Ketphanh, 2004b)
field surveys (IUCN-NTFP project database, for
Examples
Sugar palm fruits, Baccaurea berries, Irvingia nuts
Barringtonia, Lasia, Azadirachta, Centella
Bamboo shoots, rattan shoots, palm hearts
Yam tubers (Dioscorea), galangal roots
Ear mushrooms, Shii-take, Termite mushrooms
Sesbania, Butea, Markhamia
Cyprinidae, Pangasiidae, Siluridae, Notopteridae
Doves, partridges, pheasants, bulbuls, estrildas
Squirrels, wild boar, rats, civet cats, mouse deer
Frogs, monitor lizards, snakes, turtles
Freshwater shrimps, crabs, snails, shells
Red ant eggs, bamboo grub, dung beetles
After rice, forest foods count for 11% in the dry season to 19% in the rainy season of the total value of
food consumed (Clendon, 2001). For poor families this is sometimes even more than 50%, especially
when rice is substituted for tubers, roots and bamboo shoots. Forest foods provide a balanced diet with a
wide variety of nutrients including carbohydrates, but also contain important sources of calcium (hak tin
houng fern), iron, high quality protein (phak kout fern), vitamin A and vitamin C (many fruits). Women
usually attach more importance to products such as vegetables and bamboo shoots, while men prefer
products such as wildlife and fish. For the poorest households NTFPs are relatively more important
because they eat them relatively more. In one of the poorest province in Laos, Houa Phan, the Nam EtPhou Loei NBCA resources provide 141 kg of protein and 165 kg of wild plants per family per year, worth
an estimated US$150 (ICEM, 2003).
Forest foods as nutrient sources (Clendon, 2001).
FOREST FOODS
ENERGY
MICRONUTRIENTS
Carbohydrate, Protein,
Vitamins
Minerals
Fats, Sugars
Forest animals,
High in fat, complete protein Offal/organs high in
Animal iron
birds
nutrients, Vitamin B
Fish,
Complete protein
Some Vitamin B
Animal iron, calcium
crustaceans,
from small fish
frogs, molluscs
(bones)
Insects, larvae,
High in fat, high in protein
Vitamin A, Caterpillars rich in
Animal iron
insect eggs
Vitamin B12
Mushrooms
High in carbohydrate, rich in
Small amounts Vitamin A and
Most species low in
protein
C depending on species.
iron
Bamboo shoots
High in fibre and
Minimal amounts, lost in cooking
carbohydrate, rich in
vegetable protein
Plants – leaves,
Low in energy, source of
Leaves important for
Vegetable iron from
stems, flowers
soluble fibre.
Vitamins A, C and folic acid.
dark greens
The darker the leaf, the more
A, and C.
Tubers
Rich in starch
Honey
High in energy, rich source
Vitamin A
of simple sugars
Nuts
Carbohydrate, oils, protein
Fruit, berries
Sugars and soluble fibre
Important source of Vitamins
Calcium, Magnesium,
A, and C
Potassium
2
Many edible plant or plant products can be found in Laos and have not been completely recorded yet. In
North-eastern Thailand or Isan, resembling the lowlands of Laos and
culture, over 500 species of edible forest plants are sold in Thai markets,
including fruits, nuts, leaves, bark and shoots. In the rainy season food
from forests can account for half of the food consumed by some rural
villagers. The majority of the plants are used for their young leaves or
shoots often eaten raw or blanched with a sauce jeo and rice. Most shoots
or young leaves (phak or vegetable) have a sour or bitter taste which are
popular in Laos, like phak samek, and phak tiou. Wild vegetables often are
used locally and rarely find their way to the export market. Bamboos are
famous for their shoots, or nyod, important for their edible fibres and
starch. Other plants have their starchy tubers eaten, which in some cases
requires repeated washing or cooking to destroy or remove toxic
substances. Examples are pheuak and man din. Then there are the
numerous fruits which are sweet or sour and a welcome snack for many
forest dwellers, especially for children these give important additional
vitamines. Mak fai, mak deua, mak sim are just a few forest fruits. Spices, condiments and culinary herbs
are another important group of products that constitute a significant component of world trade. Indonesia
is the largest world producer of nutmeg (15,800 tonnes in 1990) and mace and accounts for 75% of world
production and export. The world trade in cinnamon is between 7,500 to 10,000 tonnes annually, with Sri
Lanka contributing 80-90%. For cassia globally ca. 20,000-25,000 tonnes are annually traded, of which
Indonesia accounts for more than 60% and China of the remainder, and the European Union, United
States and Japan are the major markets. Spices are the dried parts of very aromatic (spicy, sweet, bitter)
plants such as berries (mak khean), flower buds (Eugenia aromaticum, the clove tree), roots or rootstocks
(Ginger or Vetiver) or bark (cinnamon). They have their essence in the hard parts of plants, while the
herbs have their essence in the soft parts. Some are also cultivated: Alpinia galangal, Cinnamomum spp,
Curcuma spp, Piper spp. Because spices are edible they are usually grouped with food.
B.
Medicinal plants or botanicals have the primary purpose to treat people and their animals or to make
and keep them healthy. Aphrodites are also put in this group. Besides a healthy diet from NTFPs, many
local people directly depend on medicinal plants and knowledge to use them appropriately. Often
specialised people, older women, in the village have a wealth of knowledge on numerous forest plants
used in medicinal formulas, which they have acquired over generations. Many medicines, both traditional
and ‘western’, are based on wild plants or compounds extracted from them. More than 50% of the
population in the developing countries of the region is believed to be dependent on medicinal plants for
curing various illnesses. Synthetic production of medicines has caused a decennia long decline in medicinal
plants and their derivatives, however recently there has been a rise again in traditional medicine. The
expanding market for homeopathic products in developed countries provides new opportunities for a
number of botanical products. Examples of some plants are Dioscorea sp., Cinnamomum spp. and Styrax
benzoin. However, only a small number of plants exist from which individual components are isolated and
used as medicines, either alone or in combination, like exudates from Dragon’s blood or camphor from
Cinnamomum. Individual compounds such as strychnine, berberine, quinine are often abundant in roots,
bark, leaves, seed or certain plants. In addition to medicinal plants which are sources of alkaloids, there
are some which are highly valued as tonics, such as Ginseng. All parts of medicinal plants maybe used:
roots, flowers, bark, lianas, leaves, nuts or resins. Some are used or sold fresh, others dried and mixed
with other medicinal plant or animal parts. Some plants are processed by the domestic pharmaceutical
industry for the domestic market, but at village level local healers depend on fresh materials. The most
common methods for preparing a medicine of NTFPs is by boiling the plant part in water and drinking the
tea extract after removing the cooked parts (decoction), but it is also common to boil several parts of
medicinal plants together (concoction). For other species the plant parts need to be soaked in hot or cold
water (infusion), or in alcohol (tonic). Some medicinal plants are classified as poisonous plants because
they contain toxic substances harmful to man but are also have beneficial effects and potential source of
pesticides, fungicides and insecticides. The World Health Organization (WHO) has compiled a list of more
than 21,000 plant species used globally in medicine, of which 2,000-3,000 are used in South-east Asia.
The WHO estimated that about 74% of the 121 bio-active plant-derived drugs are presently in use
worldwide. About 4,000 to 6,000 botanicals are of commercial importance. However, information for
individual medicinal plants is difficult to estimate, because they
are not specified individually in international trade data. Some
of the essential oils, such as cinnamon leaf oil are also used in
medicine, overlapping 2 areas of use. Trade is further
complicated because people and pharmaceutical companies are
reluctant to share their knowledge on the useful properties of
medicinal plants, as their incomes depend on this knowledge. In
1992, total world trade in medicinal plants was about US$171
million, of which 20.9% originated from countries in Asia and
the Pacific, with India 11.2%, including 2,000 species and China
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3.8%, including 5,000 species. The EU, Japan and the USA are the main importers, with Hamburg
(Germany) the leading trading centre for medicinal plants. In 1996 the global international trade in
medicinal and aromatic plants exceeded 440,000 tonnes valued at US$1.4 billion. For Laos only a limited
number of medicinal plants are collected or cultivated for the export, like: Cardamom (Amomum sp.) and
malva nuts (Scaphium macropodum) both used in Chinese medicine, are the most important export
products, together representing 60-70% of the total NTFP export value. In Laos one distillation unit exists
in pharmaceutical industry nr. 3 at Vientiane, however it works below its potential capacity. Sometimes
short lived Chinese or Vietnamese enterprises pop up accelerating harvests of Kheua heam (Coscinium
spp.) vines while using simple and cheap process techniques. Often these activities are not sustainable.
According to a 2003 National Decree regarding medicinal natural resources, medicinal plants are
categorized in 3 groups. Group I includes rare and endangered plants while Group II contains medicinal
plants which have commercial values, and Group III includes plants which are abundant. For Group I
exploitation and harvesting has to be certified from the Ministry of Health and concerned authorities. For
Group II plants exploitation and harvesting has to be certified by providing a management plan covering
harvesting and reforestation. Some examples from group II are: Coscinium fenestratum, Amomum
ovoideum and Cinnamomum cassia.
C.
Fibres from plants are materials used to build (bamboo canes) or finish constructions (thatch), or for
clothes, paper and household implements (broom) and mainly come from plants in the families of
Tiliaceae, Sterculiaceae, Bombacaceae, Moraceae, Leguminosae, Urticaceae, Palmae and Gramineae.
Grasses are used for fodder, matting, roping, thatching (Imperata cylindrica) and manufacturing of
furniture, basketry and screens. Many handicrafts sold to tourists are made from fibres, such as bamboo
mats, rattan chairs, paper mulberry whishing cards, lamps and even as part of umbrellas{pic
nightmarket}, but also wooden products made for Ebony wood (Diospyros spp.) etc. Fibre processing is
still a small industry in Laos and much of the raw material is sold to neighbouring countries, such as paper
mulberry (posa) and broom grass. Currently a factory in Vientiane is processing bamboo into pulp for
export to Taiwan where it is made into paper products.
D.
Extracts are chemical substances (liquid or not) derived from plant parts, with specific characteristics
used in a variety of products, like essential oils for their fragrance in perfumes, resins for their ability to
act as a carrier for paint or tannins for their preservative capacity. Cosmetics are put in this group as
these are often extracted from plants, such as Kheua mak khampae (an unknown legume, Abrus?) roots
used in the production of skin lotion. The glue obtained from peuak meuak and bong bark used in incense
sticks functions as an adhesive or glue and is placed under gums. Included here are non-edible oils such
as wood oil or leaf oil which are often essential oils or oleoresins. Stimulants depend on chemicals which
have an arousing effect on people, or insecticides chemically able to prevent or kill insects.
- Extractives are substances from plant parts, which require extraction either by solvents such as water,
or alcohol, benzene, acetone or ether, for instance by distillation of essential oils. Methods are often used
to obtain medicinal properties from the plant parts.
- Exudates are extract substances, which have a different composition than extractives, and are often
liquids that are released in drops or ooze out from plant pores often easily harvested by tapping trees
(latexes, resins, gums). Exudates are released as a result of the plant growing under stressful conditions
or after injury by fire, insect, fungal or mechanical damage. Rubber (latex) is a commercial exudate, but
others can not compete with modern synthetic substitutes and have declined in importance or have fallen
out of use. Commercially important, resins are applied in paints and varnishes, yield essential oils and are
transformed chemically into a variety of products (i.e. copal, dammar, benzoin, balsam, wood oil).
Exudation occurs from unhealthy trees, but artificial incisions are made in healthy trees to increase the
yield. Harvesting is done by hand picking.
There is no consistency in classifying extractive products. For example oleoresins are often mixed up with
essential oils, or a product is either described as an oil, oleoresin, resin as in the case of Dipterocarpus
exudates, or even as a gum! Here follows an overview of the identified exudates and extractives.
Exudates

Gum is solvable in water, is jellylike when moist but hard when dried and consists of complex sugars
and is used mainly as a thickener or a spray-dried carrier to make water solvable perfume and flavour
compounds. Best quality dried gums have little to no colour and are sticky. Fine grades are used to
make alcoholic drinks clear, coating silk and in the preparation of water colours. Intermediate grades
are used in sweets, pharmaceuticals and printing inks, sizing and finishing of textiles, dyeing and the
paint industry. In the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry, gums are used to bind mixtures in
creams, lotions and ointments. Many gums add body and bulk to foodstuffs such as ice-cream.

Gum-resin does not dissolve completely in water and can be used as colour agents in medicines, in
flavouring foods, incense, perfume and preservatives.

Resin is soluble in alcohol and consists of volatile oil or turpentine and non-volatile oil or rosin, gums
and balsams, which are sticky and clear from wood and resin. Rosin is like a resin but usually darker.
Resin is obtained from oleoresin or dead wood of pine trees by removing volatile turpentine oil. Resin
is collected from artificial wounds or fossil material, often hard or hardening when exposed to air and
4



is transparent and usually yellow to brown. If the percentage of volatile components is high, the
substances will be more liquid and may be considered an oleoresin or wood oil. Resins have
antibacterial properties and are used in medicine, incense and cosmetics. They are often used in the
manufacture of lacquers, varnishes or waterproof coatings and in the past as a vehicle for paint.
Resins dissolve rapidly in alkali to form soaps, and they are used for sizing paper and the preparation
of sealing wax. The importance of natural resins has declined in recent years because synthetic resins
have become cheaper. Dammar resin is a hard resin from trees of the family Dipterocarpaceae, used
for lighting torches, water proofing of boats, hand dye, varnish and in the printing industry.
Oleoresin is soluble in water and a naturally occurring mixture of a resin and an essential oil acting
as something of a carrier for the resin. Important oleoresins are pine turpentines and benzoin
balsams (a resin that has been distilled) used in perfumery and medicines, for making adhesives,
varnishes and lacquers. Other important ones are also found in nyang oil and dragon's blood.
Latex is a milky exudate that becomes solid when exposed to air like Hevea brasilienses (rubber).
Essential-oils (other names are: essence, extract, distillate, perfume, scented oil) are volatile
aromatic oils used in perfumes, body care products (aftershave, shampoo) and flavourings. It also
includes incense and it is burnt in religious ceremonies for its pleasant or spicy smell. Essential oils
are obtained by steam or distillation of botanicals or by pressing flowers, grass, peel, leaves, or bark
from plant families of Rutaceae, Umbellifereae, Lauraceae, Gramineae, Asteraceae, Labiatae,
Leguminosae and Geraniaceae, or Aquilaria, benzoin, cinnamon, Apium, Zingiber, Citrus, Passiflora,
Vetiveria, lemongrass and pine. Most essential oils are composed of terpenes and their oxidized
hydrocarbons. Some oils from various citrus peels are also considered to be essential oils. Many of
these have therapeutic and antiseptic properties and several are used as solvents in paint and varnish
and insecticides. An economic classification of essential oil plants is based on end use is still unclear
due to overlap in use. For convenience they are often classified according to source: grass oil (vetiver,
lemon grass), wood oil (sandal wood), leaf oil (cinnamom leaf and bark), root oil and flower oil. China
is currently oversupplying the market with an annual production of 20,000–30,000 tonnes of essential
oils, resulting in low prices. However, the scale of world trade for essential oils is around 1 billion US$
(Vantomme, 2001). For flavours the market is better, with increasing demands from developed
countries, which prefer natural ingredients nowadays. They are distinguished from fatty oils because
they evaporate or volatilise when exposed to air.
Extracts:

Dye is usually a soluble substance for staining or colouring fabrics or hair. Over 2,000 plant pigments
are known with only a few of commercial importance, and artificial dyes are out-competing the
natural ones. Classification is according to
plant part: wood (Caesalpinia sappan), bark
(Terminalia tomentosa), flower and fruit
(the most important group with i.e. Butea
monosperma, Toona ciliata), root and leaf
(Indigofera tinctoria) dyes. Artocarpus spp.
provides a dye and in combination with
potassium alum creates a saffron colour for
robes of Buddhist monks. Also ethnic
minorities in Laos, Vietnam and Thailand
use natural dyes in the production of cloth.
The export of high-quality woven textiles,
painted or printed with natural dyes, may
profit from the revival of the interest in natural colours in up-market segments of the world market
(De Beer, 1993).

Tannin is a resin which becomes hard and stiff when heated or cured. Tannins occur in varying
concentrations in all plant materials, with different parts of plants containing different types of
tannins. Only certain plants contain concentrations which make commercial exploitation possible.
Tannins are sometimes classified into fruit, bark or leaf tannin (Fagaceae, Pinaceae), with 90% of the
total vegetable tannins in the world are used by the leather industry as a preservative and some in
medicine. In 1996 China produced 20,000 tonnes of tannins and further processed tannin products,
and 22,000 tonnes of tannin extracts.
The following groups are included here too, as the substances desired needs to be extracted from the
plant parts for use other than primarily for food or medicine. However some overlap still remains.

Oil seeds (non-edible): Azadirachta indica seeds extract are used to make soap, medicine, fertiliser
and famous organic insecticides. Jatropha curcus is not a genuine NTFP as it is not occurring in the
wild, but has been planted for over a decennium in Laos. However, it is believed that it has potential
for Lao farmers to derive income from in the near future, due to its high quality bio diesel properties.

Cosmetics are toiletries designed to beautify the body and sometimes categorised with medicines.
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E.
F.
G.
Ornamentals and greenery are for beautification of human surroundings. In this handbook a variety of
orchids are the main ornamentals, with other NTFPs mentioned having more important uses, such as food,
or medicine.
Charcoal and fuel wood for heating or food preparation. Basically all trees or bamboos are used for fuel
wood and charcoal. This handbook includes fuel wood and charcoal species only if these have other
purposes, such as for their edible fruits or leaf shoots, like Irvingia Malayana (mak bok) and Cratoxylum
formusum (phak tiou) as well as Senna siamea (phak khi lek).
Animals or animal products, which require a group and classification by itself.
The most widely used international product classification system could be appropriate for NTFP reporting.
The Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, generally referred to as "Harmonized
System" or simply "HS", is a multipurpose international product terminology developed by the Customs
Cooperation Council of the World Customs Organization (WCO). It consists of about 5,000 trade goods
groups; each identified by a 6-digit code. The HS contributes to facilitating data and statistics exchange
thereby reducing the costs related to international trade. It is extensively used by governments,
international organisations and the private sector for many other purposes such as internal taxes, trade
policies, monitoring of controlled goods, rules of origin, freight tariffs, transport statistics, price
monitoring, quota controls, compilation of national accounts, and economic research and analysis.
In the HS goods are classified by what they are, and not according to their stage of fabrication, their use,
or origin. The HS is arranged in a legal and logical structure and is supported by well-defined rules to
achieve uniform classification. The system is used by more than 177 countries as a basis for their Customs
tariffs and for the collection of international trade statistics. Over 98% of the merchandise in international
trade is classified in terms of the HS. Countries may add for their own national product classification for
further specification (VanTomme, 2001; Iqbal, 1995). In the index of this handbook proposed HS codes
are attached to NTFPs which the Lao government may find of use to streamline its trade and customs
policies with the rest of the region.
How to use the handbook
This handbook is limited to products derived from plants, and ideally animal products would need a book
of their own. The handbook describes over a 100 commonly used NTFPs or found on markets, including
products with high commercial
Lao phonetics name
Lao name
English name
value, most being wild or
Plant parts
sometimes being cultivated. The
ດອກ
Dok
Flower
book is not meant to be a
ຮາກ
taxonomical reference, but where
Hak
Root
possible names have been checked
ຫົວ
Houa
Bulb
with available botanical references.
ຫມາກ
Mak
Fruit
In Lao the name of the book would
ໜໍ່
Noh
Shoot from seed or roots
be: “Palithaphan Khong Khuang Pa
Nyod,
nhod
Shoot from a bud
Khong Dong” meaning the
“Production/Products of NTFPs” and
Pheuak, man, bon
Tuber
ເຜືອກ ມັນ
discusses NTFPs organised
ບອນ
according to phonetic Lao
Use
alphabetical order (koh khai, koh
ຢາ
Nha, ya
Medicine
kouay, etc) to accommodate the
ຜັກ
Vegetable
Phak
reader. However, 2 index types are
available in the back of the book to
Plant habit
ເອື້ອງ
facilitate the search for NTFPs,
Euang
Orchid
ordered according to Lao script, to
ເຫັດ
Hed
Mushroom
use of the NTFP. Information
ເຄືອ
Kheua
Vine, climber
added to the list contains botanical
Khok or mai
Tree
¡ö¡
ໄມ້
names, family, parts used and
ໄມ້ ໄຜ່
Mai phai
Bamboo
habit of the NTFP, as well as the
ຫຍ້າ
HS codes. In Lao language NTFPs
Nya
Grass
are usually indicated for their use
ຕົ້ນ
Ton
Tree, plant
(i.e. medicine, vegetable), or plant
ຫວາຍ
Wai
Rattan
parts used (i.e. tuber, flower) such
as dok khaem, phak tiou, noh khom, etc. However, they can also be referred to by their habit, i.e.
mushroom or hed, tree or mai. For the sake of clarity in ordering NTFPs these plant parts, uses or habits
are written after the NTFP name, like Phak khom becomes Khom ; phak.
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