Irrawaddy-Aug 30
More and more people in Myanmar are relying on charity for their daily meals as prices skyrocket and unemployment worsens, say locals. The cost of basic commodities has doubled and, in some cases, tripled since the 2021 coup, with experts blaming the military regime’s economic mismanagement. The situation worsened recently when prices for the country’s main staple, rice, began surging. A one pyi (2-kilo) sack of quality rice that cost 6,000 kyats (around US$ 2.86) in July is now priced at 7,000 kyats. The same quantity of low-quality rice has risen from 2,500 kyats to 3,800 kyats. As incomes drop and prices soar, more families are going hungry. Households in Yangon townships such as North Dagon, South Dagon, Thingangyun, Hlaing Tharyar and Shwepyithar are increasingly reliant on food donated by charitable groups and individuals. The head of a Yangon charity group said people are braving long journeys and queueing for hours to receive food that they can distribute back in their townships. Founded seven years ago and funded by public donations, the group distributes simple meals of rice and curry to grassroots residents in need. Unemployment and lack of income have left people struggling to find their next meal, a situation exacerbated by soaring food prices. A World Bank survey in May found that 48 percent of Myanmar’s farming households worry about not having enough food to eat, up from about 26 percent a year earlier. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/yangon-food-charities-swamped-as-hunger-stalks-myanmar.html
