Maungdaw, Arakan State: The price of roofing materials such as thatch and stitched palm leaves have increased this year in Maungdaw South, Arakan State according to Mohin, a Maungdaw resident.
A pair of thatch bundles which last year sold for 5,000 kyats are now selling for 10,000 kyats and one thousand stitched palm leaf tiles, which sold for 30,000 kyats last year, are now being sold for 50,000 kyats.
Villagers said that because of these price increases poor villagers cannot afford to buy the thatch and stitched palm leaf they need to maintain their roofs during the wet season, which will be starting soon.
Kamal Uddin said: "I get 4,000 to 5,000 kyats a day from work, but I need ten pairs of thatch bundles for my house roof. I don't know how I will manage to get the money for thatch."
He also said that many poor villagers would face problems in the coming wet season because they would not be able to afford to buy roofing materials at such high prices.
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
