Cost of fruit rises in post-cyclone Arakan State

By Admin 12 Jun 2023

DMG Newsroom
12 June 2023, Sittwe

Thousands of acres of fruit trees in Arakan State were damaged by Cyclone Mocha, which made landfall with destructive force on May 14, and fruit prices are rising as fruit are being imported from mainland Myanmar, according to sellers in Sittwe.

One bag of djenkol beans produced in Arakan State was K50,000 in the past, but one bag of djenkol beans from Yangon is selling for K120,000, said Daw Aye Kyawt, a fruit vendor in Sittwe’s Myoma Market.

“We buy fruits from Yangon and sell them in Sittwe as thousands of acres of fruit trees in Arakan State were destroyed by the cyclonic storm. The prices of fruits in Sittwe are different from Yangon due to transportation charges. Many acres of mango and djenkol bean trees in Arakan State were destroyed by the storm. We have difficulties buying fruits due to skyrocketing prices,” she explained.

“About 10 acres of perennial crops were destroyed by the storm,” Daw Nyein Nyein, a resident of Letpyat Village in Mrauk-U Township, said of her losses. “I will have to wait at least 10 years to get this type of plantation again. We rely on this orchard for our livelihood, and we don’t know how to make a living [otherwise].”

The prices of mangoes, pineapples and rambutan have reportedly increased by around K10,000 depending on the weight of the fruits.

“If it’s local produce, it’s worth the price for the buyer. I invest a little [in buying fruits] and make a little profit. We now pay a lot of transportation charges as we buy fruits from mainland Myanmar,” said Daw Aye Khaing Nu, a fruit seller near U Ottama Park in Sittwe.

Fruits ordered from mainland Myanmar have at times spoiled due to travel delays and slow sales once they arrive at market.

“We don’t make any profit even though we are selling fruits at a higher price. The fruits are not fresh due to delays on the road trip, so we have to sell them at a lower price,” said U Myat Kyaw Khaing, the owner of a fruit sales centre in Sittwe.

Some 4,000 acres of crops in Arakan State’s Mrauk-U, Kyauktaw, Ponnagyun and Minbya townships were destroyed by Cyclone Mocha, the junta-controlled Myanmar Alinn newspaper reported last month.