Photo Essay: Arakanese farmers reduce sown acreage due to scarcity of fertiliser, rising fuel prices
Last year, a bag of fertiliser sold for around K100,000, while currently the price ranges between K450,000 and K530,000.
12 Jul 2024
![Photo Essay: Arakanese farmers reduce sown acreage due to scarcity of fertiliser, rising fuel prices](https://assets.dmediag.com/2024/7/arakan_farm1.jpg)
DMG Newsroom
12 July 2024, Sittwe
Farmers in Arakan State are being forced to reduce their sown acreage due to the scarcity of fertilisers and skyrocketing costs, including rising fuel prices.
Some farmers say they are unable to cultivate even one-third of the acres they own, and instead of chemical fertilisers, they have to use broken rice, rice flour and mustard seeds as natural fertilisers.
Last year, a bag of fertiliser sold for around K100,000, while currently the price ranges between K450,000 and K530,000.
Last year, the price of one barrel of fuel was approximately K500,000, and this year the price has risen to more than K2.5 million.
Farmers said that there were no buyers for the paddy stored last year and they had many financial difficulties adding inputs to their farming operations. Some farmers have had to sell their cattle due to financial difficulties.