Displaced residents at an internally displaced persons (IDP) site in western Hpruso Township, Karenni State, have been paying up to 2,000 MMK ($0.95 USD) for a single egg for over two months, with prices showing no sign of abating, local sources said.

Egg and basic food prices surged after the Myanmar military junta launched an offensive into Hpruso Township in early May, triggering road blockades. Rainy season mud and impassable terrain have further disrupted supply chains across the region.

Because main transport corridors near active junta columns remain unusable, traders and residents must physically carry essential goods on foot along rugged mountain tracks. The steep labor and transport costs have kept prices inflated.

“Without functional roads, we are completely cut off,” said a local female shopkeeper. “Having to haul goods manually is what drives prices up so dramatically. We also have to take long detours to avoid military patrols, using bad tracks that turn into impassable mud when it rains.”

She noted that even in western Demoso Township, the primary wholesale source for the camp, a single egg sells for 800 MMK.

At the 300-resident IDP camp, three eggs cost 5,000 MMK. Prices there have surpassed those in the Mawchi area and Hpasawng Township, historically known for having the highest commodity prices in Karenni State. In Mawchi, 10,000 MMK buys eight eggs, whereas at the Hpruso IDP site, 10,000 MMK yields only six.

Nationwide, Myanmar’s poultry sector has suffered severe disruption since the 2021 military coup due to hyperinflation and junta restrictions on importing poultry feed, breeding stock, and veterinary pharmaceuticals.

Following the new trade and import controls introduced in July 2026 by junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, baseline egg prices across Myanmar have risen to around 700 MMK per unit.