The price of rice hikes up over twofold in northern Arakan, western part of Burma, compared to previous two months and poor people of the area are now facing starvation, said a trader of Maungdaw.
At present, in northern Arakan the prices of essentials have gone up to unprecedented level. Rice costs Kyats 400-560 per Pri (1 Pri = 2 kgs ), soybean Kyats 2,300 per Viss (1 Viss = 1.75 kgs ), onion Kyats 400 per Viss, garlic between Kyats 700 to 900 per Viss, dry chilli 1,400 to 1,500 per Viss, suger Kyats 550 per Viss, salt between Kyats 90 to100 per Viss, potato Kyats 350 to 400 per Viss, pea Kyats 600 per Viss, green chilli Kyats 600 per kg, egg plant Kyats 250 per kg, a packet of 400 gms of Chinese milk powder Kyats 1,000 and one can ( 250 gms ) of condensed milk Kyats 400. Beef Kyats 2,000 to 2,200 per Viss, mutton Kyats 1,900 to 2,500 per Viss, chicken Kyats 2,200 per Viss, egg Kyats 50 each, petrol one gallon Kyats 1,400 to 1,900, a cup of tea Kyats 60, the first grade fish Kyats 1,600 per kg, the second grade fish Kyats 1,000 and the third grade fish Kyats 800 per kg, he further added.

According to the government sources, price-hike is created by insincere and crocked businessmen who hoard rice and paddy.

When asked some traders at Maungdaw told that the military government has exported much rice and paddy leaving nothing for the people of the country. So, the price of rice is hiking up unusually.

According to the consumers, the military junta has exported huge quantity of rice and paddy to neighboring Bangladesh and has left very little for the people of Arakan. Therefore, the price of rice is skyrocketing.

The price-hike of the essentials in Arakan has taken the people by surprise, as it has not developed through a gradual process. For this reason, most of the poor families are facing starvation and some of them becoming beggars and even prostitutes knowingly or unknowingly. They include all communities such as, Rohingyas, Rakhings and Hindus, said another trader.

Not only the general people but also the rice traders are restricted to carry rice from one township to another without permits issued by the authority.Therefore, the traders are mostly using illegal ways to carry rice from place to place bribing the authorities. Most of the traders who did not bribe the authorities, while carrying rice to northern Arakan from the townships of Mann Aung, Kyaukpru and Sittwe (Akyab), were arrested, said a trader of Sittwe.

The official exchange rate is 6.80 Kyats to one US dollar but in black market it is 1,250 Kyats to one US dollar and 21.00 Kyats to one Bangladesh Taka in Burma- Bangladesh border, said our sources.

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