Rice Mill Operations Halted in Southern Shan Due to Fuel Shortage; Locals Fear Rising Rice Prices
30 March, 2026
In southern Shan State’s Kyethi Township, rice milling operations have halted, leaving locals anxious about impending rice price hikes.
Business owners attribute the shutdowns to acute diesel shortages, difficulties in securing sufficient supplies, and unreliable black market pricing.
A rice miller in Mai Naung village stated, “We can’t get any in the village anymore; we have to go into town to buy it. If rice prices rise, we’ll have to follow suit. For now, we’re just pausing.” Official diesel prices in Kyethi stand at 5,920 kyats per viss (about 92 kyats per liter), but black market rates exceed 20,000 kyats per viss, with truck deliveries delayed up to three days when supplies run out.
The ripple effects extend to pig farming, as one local man noted: “We feed pigs a mix of bran and CP feed, sometimes rice bran (local term). Now without milling, no bran—we’ll face higher feed costs, and pork prices might rise too.”
Farmers in related agriculture are planning to revert to buffaloes and oxen for plowing in coming months due to the diesel crunch.
Security challenges along the northern Shan border and Chinese restrictions hinder diesel imports to southern Shan areas from both directions.
