Junta resumes rice exports, but Myanmar’s farmers see little relief

Myanmar’s military regime has resumed rice exports this week in a bid to prop up plummeting prices, which fell to record lows after months of state-imposed price controls. The move comes as nationwide rice production continues to decline amid ongoing armed conflict, with more than 1.2 million tons of rice shipped abroad in the past six months, according to trade data. From April to September 2025, Myanmar exported more than 1.2 million tons of rice—mainly to China and other Asian and European markets—earning about $408 million, according to the Myanmar Rice Federation.The junta plans to ship another 1.8 million tons over the next six months, bringing total exports this fiscal year to around 3 million tons, up from 2.48 million last year, as authorities focus on boosting global demand. In mid-2024, the junta arrested major rice traders and curbed exports to counter rising domestic prices, a move that created surpluses and sent prices plunging, according to a rice trader near the Chinese border. "Last year, when they issued fewer rice export licenses, there were more rice surpluses and paddy this year,” he said. “Domestic rice prices have been plummeting. That means farmers across the country are facing losses. And that's why the military reopened rice exports.” Experts say that ongoing clashes have shut down key land trade routes along the Chinese border, Myanmar’s main rice export corridor, forcing most shipments to China to go by sea. But even as exports resume, domestic prices continue to fall, leaving farmers, who make up more than 70% of the rural population, facing steep financial losses.The 2021 coup upended Myanmar’s trade flows, disrupting supply chains and sharply reducing cross-border commerce. Rice exports in particular were hit, with border closures and conflict cutting access to key markets and forcing shipments onto slower, costlier routes. Last year, a 108-pound bag of rough rice sold for about 90,000 kyat (around $43), but this year the price has dropped to roughly 50,000 kyat (about $24), experts said. Farmers can only break even if prices rise above 70,000 kyat (about $33) per bag, leaving many deep in the red this season. Since the coup, junta mismanagement has fueled soaring prices for essentials like rice, oil, and other food staples, while junta-imposed price controls have expanded black markets and driven down crop prices.With paddy harvest season approaching, rice now sells for under 1 million kyat per 100 tin, and rising costs for inputs like fertilizer and pesticides mean farmers risk losses of up to 200,000 kyat (about $95) per acre, according to a farmer in Yangon’s Hlegu Township. “Only farmers suffer,” the farmer said. “We mill our paddy and sell it as rough rice for about 45,000 kyat per bag (around $21), but when consumers and laborers buy that same bag, it costs about 70,000 kyat (around $33). That’s the gap.” He added that even when exports drive prices higher, traders continue to underpay farmers, and that they remain cut off from the market with no way to negotiate better rates. When rice paddy is grown locally, production still depends on costly labor, seeds, and imported inputs like fertilizer and pesticides, which must be bought in US dollars. Experts say junta restrictions mean farmers still aren’t getting fair prices for their crops. Ongoing conflict has sharply reduced agricultural activity across Sagaing, Magway, Rakhine, Karenni (Kayah), and other regions, while junta blockades and restrictions make it extremely difficult for farmers in resistance-held areas to move their harvests to market.

Junta resumes rice exports, but Myanmar’s farmers see little relief

Myanmar’s military regime is pushing to boost rice exports and stabilise the market after junta controls and conflict sent prices crashing

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