Myitkyina in a Vicious Cycle

(Article) By Sai Khe How agonizing must it be for parents who can no longer afford the breakfast their children love? It is distressing, but the truth is that such parents are becoming increasingly common in Myanmar. Ma Sai Ain, a mother of three in her 30s, is one of those parents. She lives in a village on the Myitkyina-Myitsone road in Myitkyina, Kachin State. While she used to be able to make wheat-based pancakes with eggs for her children every morning, she says, "I can't even do it once a month now. Maybe once every two months." The price of a pack of wheat flour, which was 2,500 kyats before the coup, has gradually risen to 13,000 kyats, making it unaffordable for Ma Sai Ain. According to a 2026 report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Myanmar is among the 10 countries facing the most severe food insecurity, with 12.7 million people facing food shortages and 2.8 million in urgent need of food assistance. The FAO report also states that Kachin State is among the regions where malnutrition is a major concern. Almost all food items in Kachin State are priced at least twice to several times higher than in major cities like Yangon and Mandalay. For instance, chicken that costs 18,000 kyats per viss (approx. 1.6kg) in Yangon is priced at 55,000 kyats in Myitkyina. Ma Sai Ain says that although she cannot provide a fancy breakfast, she makes sure to cook at least one meat dish every day. However, the amount of meat she buys for her family of five is only 25 kyats-weight (approx. 400g) for the whole day. In Myitkyina, where she lives, any type of meat costs 11,000 kyats for 25 kyats-weight. The UN FAO recommends that an individual should consume at least 12 kyats-weight (approx. 192g) of meat per day on average. Ma Sai Ain says that even buying just 25 kyats-weight of meat a day costs about 30,000 kyats for daily kitchen expenses, adding, "This is the most frugal I can be." Her family is not from the low-income bracket; they have a regular monthly income of around 1.5 million kyats. Prices in Kachin State have been rising since the Kachin offensive launched by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) on March 7, 2024. Kachin trade gates connected to China were closed, and only recently have some food items begun to trickle back in through various means. Furthermore, intense fighting along the road connecting Kachin State and Mandalay Region has forced trucks to take detours, and the resulting supply shortages have caused prices in Kachin State to skyrocket for nearly two years. Adding to these woes, Kachin State is among the regions most affected by the fallout from the US-Israel-Iran conflict that began on February 28. Consequently, in the state capital of Myitkyina, complaints are emerging not only from the low-income class but also from those with regular incomes. Ko Tun Lin, a small business owner in Myitkyina with a regular income, says that due to the war, fuel prices in Myitkyina have soared, driving up the cost of everything. Gasoline in Myitkyina is priced at 13,000 kyats per liter. "It's difficult. Nothing is easy," says Ko Tun Lin. He has a family of five and says his daily household expenses are now around 50,000 kyats. Questioning how daily wage earners who make 20,000 to 30,000 kyats a day manage to survive, he says, "I'm caught in a vicious cycle." The World Food Programme (WFP), a UN agency, stated that due to the Middle East conflict, basic food prices across Myanmar have risen by about 19 percent since the end of February. It is said that this rise in food prices is causing difficulties not only for consumers but also for sellers. A female broker in Myitkyina, who has been in the wholesale business for at least 40 years, says, "I've been in the wholesale business for years, but lately, I've had to sit and sell retail myself." Due to high prices, fruit prices have also risen, and she has to work hard to make a profit. "If I were the buyer, I don't think I would buy it because it's too expensive," she says of the current situation. The WFP notes that the rise in not only fuel but also fertilizer prices due to the Middle East conflict is the most difficult situation for Myanmar, which relies heavily on agriculture. If fertilizer usage drops by 50 percent, yields will fall by 10 to 15 percent, which could lead to higher rice prices, raising further concerns about the country's food security, the WFP points out. Ma Sai Ain also says that the rice they eat has risen from 90,000 kyats to 130,000 kyats per bag in recent months. "If prices go any higher, we will be in even more trouble," she says, adding, "We are just waiting to starve." Then, laughing loudly, Ma Sai Ain continues, "I don't even know how we are getting through this. I just accept that God is feeding us." *Names have been changed for security reasons.