CNI News
16 July 2023
Commodity prices in Myanmar came to rise in 2022 and 2023 due to not only a wide gap between production and consumption but also high cost of production, Sr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, chairman of the State Administration Council (SAC).
State-owned factories and private manufacturing enterprises which have stopped for various reasons needed to fully operate, said chairman of the SAC.
It is necessary to stop fighting in order to operate manufacturing enterprises and only when peace processes are strong, agro-based and other products can be produced, said U Thiha Paing, a businessman, to CNI News.
" Stop fighting, stop fighting, we have to shout like that. May they in peace. Only when there is peace, we can surely cultivate. Many crops are grown and many products are produced in Sagaing Region and also many other regions, but now production has decreased. So, we have to demand the two sides to be peaceful. We must push them to strengthen the peace process. Only when there is a stable situation, we can produce peacefully. If we go on like this, we will face starvation in the near future. Now it is said that there'll be a famine even in the world." he said.
A place selling lobster from a shopping mall in Yangon
Because the prices of fertilizers, pesticide, herbicide, machinery tools, fuel and engine oil used in agriculture come to rise, the prices of locally produced crops come to rise, said peasants.
If agriculture and livestock activities decrease, prices will rise. More investment in agricultural and livestock activities is needed and it is also necessary to provide support to these enterprises, said peasants.
"Input costs and labor charges are production cost. If input costs and labor charges are high, the production costs will be high and then the price of product will go up.
Those who raise cows and chickens don't get much profit and the price of meat has decreased. If producers don't make a profit, their products will be scarce." said U Thein Aung, chairman of the Farmers Development Association.
A view of a row of shops in a market
Raw materials, fuel, and machineries used in local manufacturing enterprises are imported. So, if international prices go up, local prices will also go up. Besides, because the value of Myanmar Kyat and the price of USD are based, it is impossible that local prices will decrease, said peasants and businesspeople.
Because farming lands are being used to build buildings, it is affecting agricultural enterprises. So, in accordance with the law, it is necessary to strictly scrutinize and fully plant on the cultivated land, said chairman of the SAC.
