As Myanmar’s post-coup economy continues to deteriorate, residents of the country’s largest city are facing increasing difficulty acquiring basic foodstuffs such as palm oil.
Due to import restrictions put in place by the regime to prevent dollars from leaving the country, the price of the staple item has risen dramatically in recent months, reaching 12,000 kyat, or US$3.70, per viss (approximately 1.6 kg).
However, limited qualities can be purchased at half that price at ration shops set up in some of the city’s poorest neighbourhoods.
In many townships across Yangon, low-income people can now been seen queuing up early in the morning to buy palm oil sold at subsidised prices, evoking memories of the country’s era of socialist rule under dictator Ne Win. . .
Your first month FREE this December
Get unlimited access to high-quality reporting from the frontlines and support independent journalism.
Already a subscriber? Log in
