- Web Master
- May 28, 2024
One pyi of rice costs Kyats 10,000 in Ann township of
Rakhine State and hence manual labourers are now surviving with dry rice.
A local housewife of a nine-member family informed Narinjara News that the
price of rice is increasing due to the military junta's travel
restrictions in many parts of Rakhine State. As a result, rice grains
became unavailable in the market and now costs Kyats 10,000 per pyi.
"Previously, one pyi of rice cost only Kyats
4,000. Now a bag of rice costs over Kyats 200,000. Currently, rice grains have
become unavailable in the shops. The situation puts our family in great
difficulties," she added.
Another local woman revealed that because of the
shortage of rice grains, the people now can not afford to have two meals a day.
Many of them are forced to eat only one meal and resort to dry rice for the
other.
"There are starving people and some are having
limited rice grains. Even some are resorting to washing and drying pig swill to
eat,” she added.
Besides the scarcity of rice, other essential grocery items like ramen and
snacks are also vanishing from the Ann markets.
"Apart from rice, the prices of all food items
have increased. Snacks, which were previously priced at Kyats 1,000, now cost
Kyats 3,000. We are going through a lot of difficulties,” said another woman.
Ann township gives shelter to over 100,000 people, out
of which 60,000 residents have already left their places.
In March, hundreds of people scrambled to get two pyi
of rice in front of the grocery stores. Currently the rice shops are closed.