Farmers in Pong Yaeng sub-district of Mae Rim district are rolling out plans to preserve native crop strains and upgrade processed products after 'Chiang Mai Makwean' was officially registered as the province’s eighth Geographical Indication (GI) product by the Department of Intellectual Property.
Grown on slopes 800 to 1,000 metres above sea level, Makwean (Zanthoxylum limonella) is an iconic Lanna spice prized for its intense aroma and sharp, fiery flavour. The spice joins a distinguished list of Chiang Mai GI products, including Bo Sang umbrellas, Chiang Mai Celadon, Mae Chaem Teen Jok fabric, Thep Sadet coffee, Lanna purple sticky rice, Fang Sai Nam Phung oranges and Fang Emperor lychee.
Boonsri Moolsom, vice president of the Pong Yaeng Makwean Community Enterprise, said the local variety stands out for its superior heat and longer-lasting flavour compared to crops grown elsewhere. The spice serves as an indispensable seasoning in traditional northern dishes, such as Larb, chicken soup, Kaeng Khae and Kaeng Om.
The perennial tree provides a lucrative secondary income for local growers due to its low-maintenance, thriving naturally on steep hillsides across five villages covering over 22.4 hectares and 2,000 trees.
To maintain high-quality yield and avoid market oversaturation, enterprise members limit cultivation to 10 trees per household, with each mature tree producing around 50 kilogrammes annually and generating a minimum of 5,000 baht income.
To resolve the biological challenge of male trees failing to bear fruit, farmers propagate authentic local strains from seeds and use top-grafting techniques, grafting branches from female trees onto non-fruiting male trees after five years.
Beyond raw spice sales, enterprise members are expanding value-added product lines, including fish sauce-pickled Makwean, dried spice, Phrik Larb seasoning paste and a newly developed rice seasoning powder.
Enterprise member Oranuch Satatha explained that the seasoning powder adapts a Royal Project recipe by blending Phrik Larb Makwean with more than 10 premium grains and ingredients, such as roasted sesame, seaweed, almonds and sunflower seeds, to deliver an authentic local flavour in a convenient format.
According to the Highland Research and Development Institute (HRDI), Makwean is native to South and Southeast Asia. Its essential oils, rich in limonene and sabinene, possess strong antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Historically used in traditional remedies for toothaches and digestive health, modern research also highlights its potential as a natural bio pesticide and plant growth inhibitor.
