Downstream effects for businesses relying on Sittwe ice plants hard-hit by cyclone

By Admin 14 Jun 2023

DMG Newsroom
14 June 2023, Sittwe

Businesses in the Arakan State capital Sittwe that need ice are facing difficulties as ice plants there were damaged by Cyclone Mocha, which hit the state with destructive force on May 14.

Restaurants, fishery product shops, and cold drink shops are suffering as a result. 

U Hsan Win Tun, an ice seller in Sittwe, said: “The supply has steeply declined, but the price has significantly increased. Fishmongers have suffered as fish get rotten. They have to use salt instead as they can’t get enough ice. And they have to sell at lower prices,” he added.

There are around 10 ice plants in Sittwe, and under the current conditions in post-cyclone Arakan State, only two ice plants can operate using diesel generators.

The price of a 300-lb ice block has increased from 5,000 kyats before the storm to 20,000 to 30,000 kyats now. Fish dealers are suffering as a result.

“I am going through the hardest time since I started trading fish some 14 years ago. I have to pay high prices for fish, and I also have to pay high prices for ice to keep fish fresh. But then, I can’t buy enough ice,” said fish dealer Daw Hnin Nwe Moe.

Ice plant owners say they have had to increase the price of their products because the cost is higher to run the plant with a diesel generator.

However, because of high fuel prices, they are not making any profit, said manager Ko Keche of the “Kaung Myat Kyaw” ice plant.

“We are running a diesel generator for the sake of other businesses that need ice. Our plant still can’t run at its full capacity because we don’t have electricity,” he said.

Production has declined by nearly half, from around 400 blocks of ice to some 220 now, he said.

Ice plants in Sittwe also supply Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Maungdaw, Ponnagyun and Pauktaw townships.

“The plant was damaged by the storm, and it is still being repaired. But then, it will be able to operate only when there is electricity. Despite the fact that the production has halted, I managed to pay salaries for my employees,” said U Aung Kyaw Mya from the “Htike Tan Tun” ice plant in Mingan ward.

Many electricity poles were destroyed or damaged by Cyclone Mocha in Pauktaw, Sittwe, Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Myebon, Rathedaung, Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships. Some 500 technicians from outside Arakan State and over 1,000 electricity staff in Arakan State have been working to repair the electricity infrastructure in Arakan State since the storm hit.