Prices skyrocket in remote Kayah State town due to junta road blockade

By Admin 07 Oct 2023

DMG Newsroom
7 October 2023, Loikaw, Kayah State

Fighting has been ongoing for months between the Myanmar military and the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) in the Mawchi region of Kayah (Karenni) State, and commodity prices are skyrocketing due to the attendant travel restrictions, according to locals.

The junta has blocked off a large section of the Loikaw-Dawtamagyi-Bolakhe road, a main entrance to Mawchi town, since February of this year. Locals in Mawchi town have been facing food shortages and rising commodity prices since then.

“The Myanmar military blocked off the Loikaw-Bolakhe road due to the fighting. Commodities are transported through illegal routes. The cost of transportation is high and the road cannot be used for a long time, so the prices of goods go up,” said a local merchant in Mawchi town.

The price hikes have affected most products. The cost of cooking oil increased to K100,000 from K30,000 per viss. A sack of Shwebo Paw Hsan Hmwe rice soared to K600,000 from K300,000 and the prices of lower grade rice rose to K400,000 from K100,000 per sack. One viss of onion increased to K20,000 from K9,000 and the price of an egg ranges from K800 to K1,500.

“The prices of commodities are going up. We cannot buy consumer goods even if you have enough money. A sack of high quality rice has soared to K600,000. You can buy one viss of cooking oil only if you have K100,000,” said a grocery owner in Mawchi.

Fighting between the two sides along the Thai-Myanmar border between Mawchi town and Hpasawng town is still fierce, and due to the military’s blocking of goods transportation routes, aid workers say they are having difficulty providing food for locals as well as internally displaced people.

“The flow of commodities has been blocked by the fighting between the military and anti-regime forces near the Myanmar-Thai border. Donors are unable to donate relief supplies to the IDPs. We are trying our best to provide relief items to the IDPs amid skyrocketing commodity prices,” said an aid worker.

DMG was unable to obtain comment from the Kayah State military council spokesman and Kayah State minister of social affairs U Myint Kyi regarding the matter.

The Mawchi region produces metals such as tin and precious stones such as sapphire, though locals mainly work in agriculture.