By Kantarawaddy Times
Following the destruction caused by heavy rainfall and flash floods brought on by Typhoon Ragi, there is a growing risk of food shortages in Karenni and along the Shan-Karenni border areas next year, according to the Karenni Interim Executive Council (IEC).
“If we are permitted to freely trade these rice crops and transport them to other states and regions, where they are essential, areas with large populations such as Loikaw, Phekhon, Moe Bye, Nan Mie Khon, Loi Nan Pha, Dee Maw Hso, and surrounding villages could face severe food shortages,” stated Khu Plu Reh, General Secretary of the Karenni Interim Executive Council (IEC).
More than 10,867.41 acres of rice and other crops have been damaged in Dee Maw Hso, Nan Mie Khon, Hoya, Loikaw, Shandaw, Moe Bye, and Phekhon townships. IEC emphasized the need for immediate preparations to avoid severe food shortages next year.
The powerful Typhoon Ragi, which formed over the South China Sea, made landfall in Myanmar on September 10, causing widespread flooding across 54 townships in Karenni State, Naypyidaw, Bago Region, Magway Region, Mandalay Region, Mon State, Karen State, Shan State, and Ayeyarwaddy Region. In addition to severe flooding, the junta reported that nearly 750,000 acres of farmland, including rice fields and other crops, were submerged and destroyed.
The typhoon not only caused flooding in lowland and delta regions but also led to severe flash floods in highland areas. Karenni State, located at an altitude between 985 feet and 6,000 feet above sea level, experienced significant flooding. Even in Kalaw, located in southern Shan State, standing 4,300 feet above sea level, intense flooding occurred.
In the highland areas of Karenni, Dee Maw Hso township’s Daw Rauh Khu village residents reported complete devastation of their rice fields. “The flooding has lasted for too long even the seeds couldn’t sprout. Now, the fields are beyond recovery,” stated the resident.
The last time Myanmar faced a major cyclone was on May 2, 2008, when Cyclone Nargis devastated the Ayeyarwaddy Delta and killed hundreds of thousands of people. However, Cyclone Nargis spared the highland areas, unlike the destruction caused by Typhoon Ragi this year, which marks the worst natural disaster in 50 years.
Sixteen years after Cyclone Nargis, Myanmar has experienced severe flooding caused by Typhoon Ragi, which is different in nature from Nargis. This disaster has affected not only the low-lying delta regions but also the highland areas across the country.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of the military council, stated on September 17 at a natural disaster management meeting held in Naypyidaw that this is one of the worst natural disasters in 50 years.
In Somo Pray Soe Lay Township (Shandaw), over 800 acres of crops, including sesame, were destroyed. An elderly resident mentioned that this was the most severe flood he had ever witnessed in his lifetime.
In Moe Bye and Phekhon townships, more than 1,000 acres of farmland were submerged for nearly three months, leaving the rice crops unsalvageable. “The crops rotted. The paddy turned black, and even the seeds that had developed were destroyed, inlcuding the roots were rotted” a local farmer explained.
Flooding caused by the release of water from the Moe Bye Dam in July had already impacted fields in Moe Bye and Phekhon; however, Typhoon Ragi worsened the situation.
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“For now, we can only operate within the Yangon Region,” said an official from the Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF) to Kantarawaddy Time. “If farmers in flooded areas within Yangon want to replant, we can only provide limited support at this stage. As for other regions and states, we are still working on making efforts to extend assistance there.”
Karenni farmers, however, doubt they will receive much assistance from MRF, citing the ongoing conflict between the junta and local resistance forces. Many residents in junta-controlled Loikaw have abandoned their fields due to the conflict, making agricultural activities impossible.
With 54 million people in Myanmar, the ongoing conflict has already left 13.2 million people facing food insecurity, according to the World Food Programme (WFP) in a June report. The typhoon damage to hundreds of thousands of acres will only exacerbate the situation, making the food crisis worse than predicted.
IEC estimates that around 30,000 people in Karenni and the Shan-Karenni border areas still need humanitarian assistance to recover from the disaster.
In the Karenni State and the Karenni-Shan border regions, rice is the primary crop relied upon for livelihoods. Additionally, crops such as sesame, groundnuts, sunflower, maize, and other produce are also cultivated.
Since the military seized power, over 200,000 people out of the approximately 300,000 residents in Karenni State have been displaced due to conflict. Agricultural activities are no longer fully operational, and the recent damage caused by Typhoon Ragi has further destroyed the crops of the remaining communities that were still able to farm.
For the 2025 food security plan, the Humanitarian and Reconstruction Department of the International Emergency Committee of the IEC announced that they will make every effort to support the areas affected by floods in Karenni and the Karenni-Shan border regions. They also confirmed that planning has already begun.
A local from Moe Bye said, “The IEC is providing 55,000 kyats (approximately $26) per person, and they are offering this amount to each household affected by crop loss.”
Typhoon Ragi, which initially hit Vietnam in September 2024, also impacted countries including Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, China, and the Philippines, leaving millions affected by flooding.
On September 27, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reported that nearly one million people across Myanmar were affected by Typhoon Ragi.
