By Yoon Sat - Jun 25, 2024
The Myanmar Rice Federation has announced that they will sell rice to factory workers in their affordable rice price program, but the workers are still paying high prices.
“We don’t get with the price they announced. 1 Pyi (2.24kg) of Paw San is sold at 6,800 kyats. A lower quality one is 6,400 kyats. We bought it yesterday night. They sold that 1 pyi of Paw San Mwe is 5,000 kyats. We have to queue and give our ID cards. We, workers have to prepare at 6:00 am to get to work on time. We don’t have time to queue and we don’t feel that this is for us,” said a factory worker.
The Myanmar Rice Federation announced that the affordable rice price program is for the families of factory workers and civil employees by selling with 3,000 kyats per 1 pyi of Eae Ma Hta Rice from 58 rice retail shops in Yangon Region.
Similarly, some rice associations in other regions and states are selling at 3,000 kyats per 1 pyi and selling 2 pyis per households.
In addition, the Myanmar Rice Federation said that, it will be sold only when the ID card and household registration are submitted.
The affordable rice price is 135,000 – 145,000 kyats for a bag of Shwe Bo Paw San Mwe rice, 110,000 – 120,000 kyats for a bag of Ayeyarwaddy Paw San Mwe rice, 72,000 – 7,5000 kyats for a bag of Eae Ma Hta, 5,000 kyats for 1 pyi of Paw San Mwe, 3,000 kyats per 1 pyi of Eae Ma Hta and 25,000 kyats for a 5 pyi bag of Paw San Mwe and it will be sold at War Tan Wholesale Center and Bayinnaung Wholesale Center starting at June 24.
A rice selling agent said that it will not be effective to reduce the rice price as they only sell at two places and only a few amounts for households because the workers don’t have time to queue so that they will purchase at higher price shops.
“There is only two shops in East Dagon and we have to queue. It will take all day. Its is not worth to queue all day by taking leave to get a discount of 2,000 kyats. It will not effective to reduce the rice price. It could be if many rice stores can do this. The price is not falling. Its around 12,000 kyats,” said a rice selling agent.
The program of affordable rice price starts after the military council summoned the officials of the Myanmar Rice Federation and conducted an inspection for exponential raise of rice prices in the past few days,
The set prices are 70,000 kyats for 24 pyi bag of Eae Ma Hta, 145,000 kyats for a bag of Shwe Bo Paw San Mwe and the military council said that anyone who sold above that price will be taken actions.
Even the reference prices are set, Eae Ma Hta is being sold at more than 95,000 kyats per bag and Shwe Bo Paw San Mwe is sold at 185,000 kyats per bag in the market.
