Harvesting fees are latest price hike to hit Arakan farmers

By Admin 20 Nov 2024

DMG Newsroom
20 November 2024, Sittwe

Farmers say they are facing difficulties due to the high price of the harvesting fee for monsoon paddy in Arakan State, where conflict between Myanmar’s military regime and the Arakkha Army is ongoing.

The harvesting fee for paddy has soared to K300,000 per acre in Mrauk-U, Kyauktaw, Ponnagyun, Rathedaung and Minbya townships.

“The harvesting fee for paddy has risen to K300,000 per acre. If we sell the paddy and pay the harvest fee, we have nothing left,” said U Hla Maung, a local farmer in Kyauktaw Township.

Last year, it cost over K200,000 to harvest an acre of paddy with a harvester.

In addition to high threshing machine rental costs, farmers also face high labour costs and labour shortages for manual harvesting.

“Paddy cannot be harvested with combine harvesters due to the high price of fuel and the inability to find equipment. We have to pay five baskets of paddy per day to workers as a daily wage. And we have to pay the paddy threshing fee, so we don’t make any profit anymore,” said a female farmer in Rathedaung Township.

This year, many Arakanese farmers planted rice despite the difficulties of high prices of fertilisers and fuel, as well as other agricultural input costs. The increased harvesting fees have added to their financial woes.

Farmers are also having trouble selling the paddy they harvested last year due to the military conflict.

“An acre of land costs more than K2 million in investment from the time the paddy is planted until it is harvested. Looking at the price of the paddy yielded, there is nothing left for us, and there is only a loss. I have become frustrated with being a farmer. We have no other job,” said U Pan Hla Aung, a local farmer in Mrauk-U Township.

There are more than 1.2 million acres of arable land in Arakan State, but sown acreage and the agricultural industry more broadly has been in decline as many acres of farms have been left idle due to fighting and soaring prices. This year, sown acreage again fell and paddy yields are also expected to decrease, affecting the domestic food security situation in Arakan State.