Farmers expect poor rice yields later this month after paddy fields in the three major monsoon rice growing regions—Yangon, Bago and Ayeyarwady—were flooded by heavy rains triggered by low pressure areas in the Bay of Bengal.
Persistent rain has also been reported since September 29 in many other parts of the country due to the low pressure areas in the east central region of the Bay of Bengal, according to Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.
Rice fields are flooded in the north of Ayeyarwady Region, farmers said.
A farmer from Ayeyarwady Region told The Irrawaddy that wind and rain destroyed rice that was ready for harvest and that fields were flooded. “If the rain continues for another week, the damage can be huge, but it will be small if the rain stops and the sun comes out again,” he said.
The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology forecasts three low pressure areas this week, one of which may become a storm. The monsoon is forecast to end in Myanmar by the second week of October.
A farmer from Yangon Region’s Kayan Township said he has already lost about half of his harvest. “Some rice plants were flooded, and some fell down [from wind] … As much as half of my farm is damaged now,” he said, adding that many paddy fields were also flooded in Thanlyin Township.
Farmers estimated that more than 400 acres of paddy fields were flooded in Ayeyarwady Region’s Hinthada Township.
Currently, 100 baskets of paddy sell for 1.3 to 1.45 million kyats depending on the location and level of moisture. Production costs range from 500,000 to 800,000 kyats per acre, depending on the location, due to the high prices of fertilizer, pesticides, fuel and labor.
The Myanmar Rice Federation last month set price controls on rice by order of the junta. The reference prices depend on the variety and are set per 100 baskets. (The regime measures one basket at 21 kilograms, about 46.3 pounds, but on the market a basket weighs about 22-23kg.)
The reference price for the Eae Ma Hta and Nga Sein rice varieties is 1.3 million to 1.5 million kyats per 100 baskets, while the price for the Ayeyarwady Paw Hsan and Ayeyar Padetha varieties is 1.6 million to 1.8 million kyats, and the Shwebo Paw Hsan variety is priced at 1.8 million to 2 million kyats.
Members of the federation and rice merchants must adhere to the reference prices when buying from farmers, the federation’s announcement said.
Myanmar grows rice on 15 million acres of land during the monsoon season, and three million acres during the dry season, according to the regime.
Cyclone Mocha, which hit western Myanmar in May, particularly Rakhine State, damaged 42,517 acres of arable land in Rakhine and Chin states as well as Magwe and Sagaing regions, according to the parallel National Unity Government. It also destroyed paddy seeds.
