Monsoon rice crop in peril as farmers hit by coup turmoil (Frontier Myanmar)

Frontier Myanmar published an article stating that throughout much of the country, Myanmar’s farmers are busy preparing their fields for the monsoon rice crop – the key annual event for a sector that accounts for about half of all Myanmar’s jobs and one-third of GDP. This year, though, farmers’ faces are lined with worry over the political turmoil and how it might affect an already precarious existence. A March survey of input retailers by IFPRI found that most were already facing a decline in sales compared to a year ago, and this decline was likely to accelerate as prices rose further. “The combination of uncertain crop prices, higher costs to access markets, financial market disruptions, and expected increases in input prices all point to lower farm investment in production inputs for the coming monsoon season,” the study stated.