Farmers in Mon State expect monsoon rice production to decline this year due to changing weather patterns, a shortage of farm workers, and pest infestations.
Farmers said there were periods of insufficient rainfall during the rice-planting season, followed by prolonged heavy rains that flooded farmland and damaged rice plants.
They are also facing rising production costs as prices of fuel, fertilizers, pesticides, seeds, and agricultural labor have increased sharply.
Pest infestations and crop diseases have been reported in rice fields in Ye, Mudon and Paung townships, which could further reduce yields, according to a Mudon farmer familiar with rice cultivation.
“This year’s rice yield will definitely be lower. It was already lower last year. The rice is being damaged by pests and snails. We spray pesticides and the problem goes away, but then it comes back. It has happened more than 10 times. The weather is also a factor. We are using broadcasting methods to plant the rice. How can the rice grow well under these conditions? Some farmers have even stopped farming,” the farmer said.
The farmer added that last year’s rice harvest was also severely affected by untimely rainfall, pests and insufficient fertilizer. Fields that normally produced more than 40 baskets of rice per acre yielded only about 25 baskets per acre.
Meanwhile, demand for remaining stocks of last year’s monsoon rice has increased, with prices rising to between 30,000 and 40,000 kyats per basket.
“Traders are now going around buying rice, so prices have increased slightly. But they set the price based on the quality. Those who need money have to sell, and most farmers are selling. Even though prices have risen, they have already fallen slightly. In the past, there was neither a good price nor enough buyers coming to purchase the rice,” a farmer from Ye Township said.
In the past, traders were reluctant to buy rice directly from farmers because military junta-affiliated forces reportedly arrested vehicles transporting rice between townships and demanded excessive payments. As a result, farmers struggled to find buyers and received poor prices for their crops.
Farmers say high commodity prices and poor rice prices have led them to reduce the area planted with monsoon rice. Many farmers are also using broadcasting methods rather than transplanting, which they believe could further reduce yields this year.
Mon State relies heavily on monsoon rice cultivation. Farmers also grow summer rice, sunflower, peanuts, black gram, mung beans, bocate beans and butter beans as secondary crops across large areas.
