The price of building materials and cement in Monghnyin Township, Kachin State have sharply increased since the devastating magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit Myanmar on 28 March.
The price of a bag of 'Crown' cement, the most widely used brand in Monghnyin Township, has surged to 70,000 MMK, according to a resident of Monghnyin Township.
They said: “Before the earthquake, the price of a bag of Crown cement was about 55,000 MMK. Now, it's gone up to around 70,000 MMK.”
Previously a viss (about 1.6 kilograms) of nails cost less than 10,000 MMK, now they cost considerably more.
The aforementioned resident said: “At the moment, there are a few new houses being built and some construction sites in Monghnyin Township, but the number is small. Still, the cement that comes in sells out almost immediately, which is pushing prices up. It's not as if there's a lot of construction happening and I can't really explain why the cement is going so fast. Maybe it's being used for road work, but I'm not sure.”
According to local traders the price of construction goods has been rising since 2024, well before the earthquake. They say the price rises started happening due to difficulties in travelling along the road between the towns of Mandalay, Shwebo and Monghnyin, which resulted in fewer construction materials reaching Monghnyin Township, meaning that the price of construction materials there rose.
A construction engineer working in Monghnyin Township told Voice of Shan-Ni that work has been suspended on many construction sites in the township.
He said: “Construction has been put on hold. With prices going up, it’s getting harder for regular families to build new homes. Only those who've struck it rich in gold and gem mining can afford to build now.”
With fewer operational construction sites in Monghnyin Township many construction workers have had to find other work or are unemployed.
The 28 March 7.7 magnitude earthquake was the strongest to hit Myanmar in just over a century. It damaged 80 per cent of Sagaing City and 70 per cent of the capital Naypyidaw. Mandalay was also very badly affected.
