The monsoon has already flooded Sagaing and Magwe regions, damaging sesame and bean crops.
A storm hit Bangladesh in late May, triggering heavy rain across Chin and Rakhine states and beyond.
A Khin-U Township farmer in Sagaing Region told The Irrawaddy: “It has been raining continuously for weeks, severely impacting the mung bean harvest. Damaged beans are sold at a lower price and drying them out costs us extra.”
The price of a 32kg sack of green or black mung beans has decreased by 60,000 kyats (approximately US$13) to around 70,000 kyats. Farmers say it costs around 600,000 kyats, including fuel and fertilizers, to grow an acre of beans and pulses.
They said the highest yield comes from the first harvest and it usually declines by half in the next harvest.
Nearly 2,000 acres of sesame plantations were flooded in Minbu District, Magwe Region. To grow an acre of sesame costs nearly 1 million kyats, according to residents.
A Minbu resident told The Irrawaddy: “Some farmers tried to pump out their flooded fields, hoping the plants could survive. But it kept raining for more than 10 days. The pumping added to the costs.”
Many farmers cannot afford to regrow as sesame seed prices have risen to 10,000 kyats per kg.
The junta media has not reported on the flooding damage in Minbu.
An agriculturalist said the Irrawaddy River’s inability to absorb excess water had increased the severity of the flooding. The river, which traditionally functioned as a natural drainage system, now struggled to channel water effectively due to years of environmental mismanagement, including poor water and land use, he said.
“The regime is unlikely to help affected farmers because Magwe Region is a resistance stronghold,” he said.
Myanmar also suffered from severe flooding last year with 760,000 acres of crops destroyed and over 100,000 cattle killed by floods.
