In the Indawgyi Lake area of Monghnyin Township in Kachin State, more farmers are reportedly selling their farmland as rice growing costs surge and investment capital becomes harder to access.
“Last year, I spent about 5 million MMK on rice cultivation, but I didn’t get any return. Not only did I make no profit, I also had to borrow money just to cover the harvest costs. If we had depended only on rice farming, we would have gone hungry,” said a woman from the Indawgyi Lake area.
Farmers lamented that the recently harvested rice sold for only about 10,000 MMK per bushel, which was not even enough to cover cultivation costs.
Rice planted during last year’s rainy season saw a sharp rise in fuel prices at harvest time, which drove up harvesting and overall expenses. In addition, rice yields in the Indawgyi Lake area have also declined, falling from about 70 bushels per acre last year to around 50 bushels this year.
Rising fertilizer prices have prevented farmers from using sufficient inputs, reducing yields on some farmlands. Even plots farmed organically from the beginning have experienced a decline in output.
“We even thought about not planting rice this year because of the fuel shortage. But if we don’t do it, what else can we do for work? Sometimes it feels really discouraging, and it makes us lose motivation for farming. But if we leave the farmland idle, it just gets worse—weeds grow everywhere. Even if we try to rent it out, no one wants to take it. That’s why many people are now choosing to sell their farmland,” said a farmer from Ashaekan Village in the region.
In recent days, the price of petrol has risen to around 30,000 MMK per liter. At the same time, the slight increase in rice prices has offered them some relief, farmers said.
In the Indawgyi Lake area, agriculture has traditionally relied mainly on cattle for fieldwork, but mechanized farming has gradually been introduced over the past decade.
The Indawgyi Lake area, a region where the junta and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) are competing for military control, is currently facing transport disruptions. The junta has blocked the Nammun Village–Indaw Town road section since February, while the KIA, together with its ally People's Defence Force (PDF), has blocked the route from Kachin State’s Hpakant Township to the Indawgyi Lake area since this month.
