By Kantarawaddy Times — August 3, 2026
In an area of western Hpruso Township, Karenni State, where local villagers and displaced people live together, residents say a single egg currently costs 2,000 kyat.
Goods reaching this area are transported in from western Demoso Township, and difficulties along the supply route have driven prices up, residents say. At some shops, an egg costs as much as 2,500 kyat, one woman selling goods explained.
“Let me explain the transport costs we have to pay at each stage,” she said. “For example, if a bag of onions costs 65,000 kyat at Pha Sel La [a supply point], it gets dropped off at a village called Phu Ka Ya Khu. From there, if we hire someone to carry it, we pay that person 60,000 kyat — plus feed them and give them drinks. One person can usually carry about one bag of onions. So if the onions cost 70,000 kyat and you add the 60,000-kyat carrying fee, that’s already over 100,000 kyat — and the price just keeps climbing. That’s only the first leg. After that, if we can bring it the rest of the way by motorbike on the better road to where we’re staying now, a viss [about 1.6 kg] of onions ends up costing 15,000 kyat. It’s the same with eggs — that’s how they end up at 2,000 kyat.”
She added that prices in this area run roughly three times higher than in western Demoso, where the goods are originally bought. In Demoso itself, a resident said, an egg costs 800 kyat.
Because of transport costs from Demoso, prices in the area are also running high for other goods: 15,000 kyat per viss of onions, 20,000 kyat for garlic, 30,000 kyat per viss of cooking oil, 95,000 kyat for a bag of salt, 20,000 kyat per viss of potatoes, 280,000 kyat for a bag of rice, and 18,000 kyat per liter of petrol. Fresh vegetables, she said, can’t be brought in at all.
“Prices are so high that sales are slow. But on our side, we haven’t seen eggs in about two months, so even at 2,000 kyat apiece, mothers still buy them because they want their children to have something to eat,” the seller added.
Around 300 people live in the area, including local villagers and displaced residents, and residents say pumpkin leaves are the only seasonal vegetable being grown for food there.
Due to the current rainy-season transport difficulties and rising freight costs, fuel and commodity prices are climbing across various parts of Karenni State.
