Labour shortages force Rathedaung farmers to pay high wages for rice harvest

By Admin 07 Dec 2024

DMG Newsroom
7 December 2024, Rathedaung

Farmers in Arakan State’s Rathedaung Township are experiencing a labour shortage during the rice harvesting season, forcing them to adopt a system where workers receive half of the harvested rice as payment.

“Few workers are available for the rice harvest. So, farmers have to hire them early. Some farmers, who don’t have family members to help them with harvesting, have to give half of their rice harvest to the workers. Even then, the farmers have to cover the costs of removing chaff,” said a farmer from Mawthet Village, Rathedaung Township.

Farming is the major source of livelihood for residents of Rathedaung Township. With no buyers for the rice, last year’s harvest remains unsold, and farmers are facing financial difficulties for this year’s harvest.

Daw Hla Hla, a farmer from Zedipyin Village, said: “Rice from last year’s harvest hasn't sold yet. So, we can’t afford to hire labourers for the harvest. The wage is five baskets of rice or 30,000 kyats for one day’s work. There are not many harvesters, and if we wait for machines, we won’t be able to harvest the rice this year.”

Though harvesters are widely used in other parts of Arakan State, there are few harvesters in Rathedaung Township. Meanwhile, some are out of order, and the junta’s travel restrictions mean spare parts cannot be bought to fix them. Moreover, fuel prices are also exorbitant, leaving many farmers unable to rent harvesters.

Farmers in Arakan State were forced to grow fewer acres of paddy fields than usual during this year’s rainy season as fertiliser was in short supply and prices were high.