Kantarawaddy Times — August 4, 2026
Rising fuel prices in recent days have pushed up the cost of hiring rice-harvesting machines during harvest season, creating hardship for smallholder farmers in Nan Meh Khon Township, farmers say. They are currently harvesting paddy planted back in April.
“When fuel prices go up, harvesting fees go up too. Some farmers are paying 280,000 kyat, others up to 300,000. Last week my nephew spent 300,000 kyat just to get his paddy harvested,” a farmer said.
She stated that due to the increasing costs of cultivation and harvesting, the number of acres of paddy that can be cultivated this year has also decreased.
‘While I could cultivate four acres last year, this year I can only manage to cultivate one acre,’ she added.
Another farmer said that because most of the budget set aside for farming now goes to fuel, there isn’t enough money left over for fertilizer.
“The money was budgeted for fuel and fertilizer, but after paying for fuel, there’s nothing left for fertilizer. That’s the difficulty we’re facing,” he said.
Farmers in Nan Meh Khon Township are currently paying between 270,000 and 300,000 kyat per acre for harvesting machine fees, and some, unable to pay upfront, are borrowing money to cover the cost.
Currently, in the western part of Demawso Township and within Nan Meh Khon Township, the market price for gasoline is about 44,000 Myanmar Kyat per gallon, and for diesel, it is about 36,000 Myanmar Kyat per gallon. Fuel sellers report that prices may continue to rise.
In Nan Meh Khon Township, where paddy cultivation is primarily undertaken for sustenance and income, some farmers are harvesting their crops while others are concurrently engaged in monsoon paddy cultivation activities, according to local farmers.
