Ann township faces rice shortage, shops limit sales to households

Ann township of Rakhine State has reported the shortage of rice supply, where the shops are selling only two pyi (4 kilograms) of rice for every household.

The local residents informed Narinjara News that the shops in urban areas run out of rice supply and the manual labourers are buying only two pyi per household while standing in queue.

"We have to stand in the line at grocery stores to buy the limited volume of rice. Some people remain hungry as they have not been able to arrange the rice. I went to buy the rice for my family and children, but had to run out,” said a local lady.

A rice shop owner claims that due to the closure of roads there is a shortage of supply and hence they are selling rice equally among the households.

"All the roads are closed, which makes it difficult to enter Ann locality. Due to the ongoing conflicts, only one rice delivery is reported every month. I'm concerned that the shops will soon run out of rice," he added.

The current price of one pyi of rice is Kyats 4,000 and it becomes difficult for the manual labourers to buy the rice.

"We have to pay Kyats 4,000 for 1 pyi of rice. Even if you have the money, it's hard to buy because of short supplies. Without oil or salt, we can still make porridge if we have rice. But now, with all the roads closed and  people are going hungry,” added the lady.

A social activist argues that if the military junta allows the rice sellers from rural areas to enter Ann township the problem may be solved.

"The junta has deliberately created this situation to blame the Arakan Army. Access to Ann township from rural areas remains very difficult. The urban residents are also prohibited from visiting rural localities. The  junta can only solve the problem by opening roads entering the township. They may have an option to transport food items by airplanes," he added.

The  Ann residents are queuing in front of grocery stores from  5 am to collect the rice grains. The AA has officially announced the closure of Ann-Padan road, connecting Ann to Ngape township  and Magway region on 2 April due to the increased military activities.

The Gwa-Ngathainggyaung road, Taungup-Pandaung (Pyay) road and Ann-Minbu road, which traverse the mountain range between Rakhine State and the mainland have also been closed since 13 November.