Ongoing security concerns have prevented numerous farmers along the Shan–Karenni border from cultivating rice, despite the arrival of the rainy-season planting period.

In several border villages adjacent to conflict zones, agricultural lands remain unplanted even after being plowed.

Farmers reported that June clashes near Moebye, coupled with military junta airstrikes, drone surveillance, and aerial bombings, have left communities too frightened to work their fields.

"Of course we want to plant, but we are not sure whether we will be able to harvest and eat what we grow," said a local farmer. "At any moment, we may have to flee, and that is something we have to consider."

In one village that typically undergoes full cultivation annually, approximately 10 percent of the rice fields remain barren this season.

Farmers cited the volatile security situation, along with economic hurdles such as soaring fuel prices and acute shortages of daily-wage laborers, as primary reasons for the delay.

Despite the ubiquitous threats, some agricultural workers have chosen to risk their safety to secure a food supply.

"With drones circling overhead, we are planting rice without knowing whether we will ever be able to harvest or eat it," another farmer stated.

The Interim Executive Council of Karenni State (IEC) confirmed that total land cultivated for rice during the 2026 growing season has dropped compared to last year due to the conflict.

Farmers along the Shan–Karenni border traditionally depend on these annual yields for both household subsistence and commercial trade.