Mawlamyine Introduces Ration Booklets for Subsidized Cooking Oil Following Junta Directives

Residents in Mawlamyine, the capital of Mon State, report that subsidized cooking oil distributed by the local edible oil merchants' association is now restricted to households holding official purchase permit booklets, following public directives from regime leader Min Aung Hlaing to curb domestic oil consumption. Addressing a meeting in Yangon on July 21, Min Aung Hlaing—who recently assumed the role of president following staged elections—stated that Myanmar spends substantial foreign currency annually on edible oil imports. Despite expanding domestic oilseed cultivation, he claimed local supply falls short because national per capita consumption remains excessively high. Citing health concerns and foreign exchange strain, Min Aung Hlaing instructed administrative authorities to implement measures to restrict public oil intake. Following the directive, local authorities in Mawlamyine altered the distribution framework for subsidized oil. While the discounted oil was previously sold through a neighborhood quota system for low-income households, residents must now apply for a permit booklet at their local Ward Administration Office to qualify to purchase it. "Previously, we simply queued up when the merchants' association distributed the oil. Now, we must first obtain a permit booklet costing 1,000 MMK," a Mawlamyine resident told Than Lwin Times. "To apply, we have to submit our official household registration document. Booklet holders are permitted to buy an allocated quota of three viss [approximately 4.9 kilograms] of oil only once a month." Community members warned that the mandatory household registration requirement threatens to exclude the most vulnerable families, particularly displaced or unregistered low-income residents who lack official documentation. Residents also alleged widespread corruption in the distribution process, accusing ward administrators and designated vendors of skimming off allocated quotas. "The volume of cooking oil actually released to the public is minimal; vendors regularly divide the remainder among themselves," another resident said. "For instance, if an allocation is intended for 30 households, they will sell to only 20 and keep the rest." Although the regime’s Consumer Affairs Department set the official reference wholesale price at 7,230 MMK per viss, residents noted that commercial market prices in Mawlamyine currently range between 13,000 and 15,000 MMK per viss. While imported Thai cooking oil remains available in local markets, its high price places it beyond the reach of struggling households, leaving low-income families increasingly vulnerable as access to subsidized quotas tightens.