Border News Agency
Kyauktaw, September 2.

Farmers in Rakhine say that prices of locally grown rice have dropped as there are no buyers in the region.

According to them, one hundred busket of Paw San Hmwe rice is now selling for 750,000 kyats, Indian coarse rice for 600,000 kyats, and Thiri Don rice for 500,000 kyats.

Before the war, one hundred busket of Paw San Hmwe rice was priced at 900,000 kyats, Indian coarse rice at 750,000 kyats, and Thiri Don rice at 650,000 kyats, they said.

“Since the fighting began, rice prices have not gone up at all—they have only fallen and remained at that lower level. Although the drop is only about 100,000 kyats compared to previous prices, because rice yields have decreased, the impact of the price decline is significant. Traders who usually come to buy rice are also no longer arriving,” a farmer from Kyauktaw Township told Border News Agency.

Farmers in Rakhine say the decline in rice prices is due to instability in the region and road blockages imposed by the junta, which have cut off trade routes to mainland Myanmar. As a result, rice traders are unable to transport and sell rice across regions, leaving farmers without buyers.

They added that because rice prices remain low and there are no traders willing to purchase, farmers are facing difficulties storing their paddy for long periods. With the harvest season approaching, many fear their stored rice could spoil, leading to further losses.

“The rice itself won’t spoil, but once the new harvest comes in, no one will buy the old stock. If the old paddy doesn’t sell, it loses value, and that means we can’t even recover the cost of inputs. This will make it very difficult for us to farm again next year,” a farmer told Border News Agency.

Farmers in Rakhine State say that because of falling rice prices and the lack of buyers, they are often forced to sell rice by the sack to local rice mills or, in some cases, mill it themselves into rice to sell for local consumption.

They added that with prices stagnant at low levels, farmers cannot even cover the costs of plowing and inputs for the monsoon season, as well as harvesting expenses and labor wages, leaving them facing losses year after year.

Farmers say that because of these ongoing losses, most farmers in Rakhine State are now growing rice only in small quantities for their families’ own consumption. As a result, there could be difficulties in ensuring food security within the region.

“A little increase in rice prices is what farmers really want. During this time of war, the cost of farm inputs has become very high. Some farmers can no longer even cultivate their fields. On top of not getting good prices for rice, they can’t afford fertilizers either, which lowers yields. With low yields and low prices, the hardships are enormous. Each year, instead of making profits, we struggle just to cover our farming expenses,” a farmer from Kyauktaw Township told Border News Agency.

Rakhine State has more than 1.2 million acres of rice fields, but farmers estimate that not even half of that land is currently being cultivated.

They say the sharp decline in rice cultivation is driven by the soaring cost of farm inputs, higher labor wages, the inability to sell rice and paddy at fair prices, and ongoing instability in the region.