A sharp reduction in export demand has caused a severe oversupply of young betel nuts in southern Myanmar’s Ye Township, driving wholesale prices down significantly and forcing local farmers to abandon their harvests.

Traders purchasing for export markets—primarily China, Vietnam, and Thailand—have largely fulfilled their seasonal quotas, drastically curtailing new purchases at local buying depots.

Consequently, buyers have become increasingly stringent, rejecting substandard fruit and accepting only high-grade produce.

Prices for young betel nuts in Ye have plummeted from early-season highs of 7,000 kyats per viss (approximately 1.63 kg / 3.6 lbs) to around 4,000 kyats.

Rejected produce fetches as little as 500 kyats per viss.

"They are becoming very selective, and more nuts are being rejected," a local betel nut farmer told IMNA. "They buy the rejected ones for only 500 kyats per viss. It feels like we are practically giving them away for free."

With harvesting costs now outpacing market returns, many growers in Mon State’s primary betel nut-producing hub are facing mounting losses.

In response, a growing number of farmers have ceased harvesting young nuts entirely, pivoting instead to producing traditional dried betel nuts or selling ripe fruit.

"It is simply not profitable to harvest and sell young betel nuts," another local grower said. "With the current cost of living, we are just trying to get by."

At current local market rates, ripe betel nuts sell for around 80 kyats per fruit, while dried betel nuts fetch roughly 10,000 kyats per viss.

The market for young betel nuts expanded rapidly in recent years to meet the needs of foreign commercial buyers.

However, local farmers remain acutely vulnerable to external shocks, including shifts in overseas demand, unpredictable border-checkpoint regulations, and currency exchange volatility.