The blockage of the road between Banmauk and Homalin townships in Sagaing Region has led to a sharp rise in the prices of food and other essential items in Homalin.

After the junta and its allied Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA) imposed a blockade on the road for more than 20 days, villages including Naungpoaung and Nantaw in Homalin Township have been hit by unprecedented price surges.

“Homalin gets most of its goods from Banmauk. Now that the road’s closed, prices have shot up. A viss (around 1.6 kilograms) of tomatoes now costs 50,000 MMK. An egg goes for 1,000 MMK in town and as much as 3,000 to 4,000 MMK in the villages. I’ve never seen prices like this in my life,” a 50-year-old Homalin resident said.

Before the road closure, prices in Homalin Town averaged 25,000 MMK per viss of tomatoes and 600 MMK per egg, while in rural areas, a viss of tomatoes cost around 35,000 MMK and an egg about 1,000 MMK.

The junta and the SNA have kept the route to Homalin closed since September 20, after a Kachin Independence Army (KIA)-led offensive resulted in the capture of Banmauk Town.

Another Homalin resident said that the SNA blocked the road to clear the way for its troops to march toward Banmauk.

Homalin Township primarily imports goods from the Mandalay Region, mainly via the Indaw–Banmauk–Homalin Road. After resistance forces captured Banmauk Town, they reopened the Indaw–Banmauk section, but the junta and SNA closed the Banmauk–Homalin stretch.

Locals fear that if the Homalin–Banmauk Road stays closed, both food and fuel prices in Homalin Township will continue to rise.

Another route to Homalin is via the Chindwin River from Monywa, the capital of Sagaing Region. However, this waterway is rarely used and unreliable, as ongoing military operations raise serious security concerns.

Clashes are currently ongoing in villages surrounding the town, as the junta and SNA launch an offensive to recapture resistance-held Banmauk, with the junta also carrying out airstrikes.