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Myanmar farmers whose crops were devastated by Typhoon Yagi say they have received no help from the military regime, raising questions about the recovery process and the long-term impacts of the disaster.
By ANT PWEH AUNG | FRONTIER
In their 40 years as farmers, U Win Maung and his wife Daw Kyi Myint had never experienced such devastating flooding.
Five days of continuous, torrential rainfall from Typhoon Yagi in mid-September caused the spillways of Kinda dam in Mandalay Region’s Myittha Township to overflow, submerging their paddy fields under more than two metres of floodwater.
Of their seven acres of farmland – located in Wundwin Township 20 kilometres west of the dam – four acres were completely destroyed and three were severely impaired. Seven of their 10 cattle were swept away, and three buildings on their farm were damaged, including a storage shed for harvested rice, sesame and beans.
“This year’s flooding was the worst we’ve ever had,” Kyi Myint said.
The flooding disrupted the monsoon paddy harvest, which typically lasts through mid-October. Win Maung, 60, said his destroyed acres were a total loss, and he was unable to harvest a full yield from the damaged fields. In a good year, he earns a net profit of about K2.5 million from the monsoon harvest, but this year he anticipates ending the season about K4 million in the red.
“Farmers like us depend on reinvesting the profits from one harvest into the next crop. We’ve had big losses from the flooding, and planting the next crop will be very difficult,” he said.
To add to Win Maung’s difficulties, the flooding not only destroyed his crops but also damaged the irrigation system that supplies water from the Kinda dam reservoir to nearly 124,000 acres of farmland in the region.
“It’s already too late in the season to replant monsoon rice seedlings in the fields that were affected by the floods,” Win Maung said. “Even if the irrigation canals are repaired and water distribution resumes from the reservoir, the earliest we can plant rice is during the summer paddy season next March.”
Counting the costs
Getting an accurate count of the amount of farmland affected by the flooding is difficult. The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management of the National Unity Government, appointed by lawmakers ousted in the 2021 military coup, said most of the damaged paddy fields are in areas controlled by the enemy junta.
“As a result, collecting accurate data on the extent of the damage has proven difficult,” said Daw Thinzar, a high-ranking official at the ministry.
On September 27, the regime-run Global New Light of Myanmar quoted Myanmar Rice Federation president U Ye Min Aung as saying that 5,000 acres of paddy fields had been “devastated” by flooding from the typhoon. This was seemingly contradicted the following day by the same news outlet, which reported that 780,000 acres of monsoon paddy had been “destroyed” by the same flooding.
Meanwhile, the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF reported on September 18 that crop cultivation had been “severely affected” in 84 of Myanmar’s 330 townships, impacting 643,081 acres of paddy and other crops.
The official response to the flooding has been equally murky. The MRF, which although private works closely with the junta, said in late September that it had allocated K500 million (US$111,110 at the market rate) for donations of rice bags, paddy seeds and fertilisers, as well as K1.25 billion in revolving funds to provide zero-interest loans to farmers through the regime’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation.
In early October, the MRF announced that it had partnered with member companies, regime agencies and affiliated associations – including the Myanmar Rice Millers Association and Myanmar Rice Planters and Producers Association – to implement agricultural rehabilitation efforts in flood-affected regions.
However, farmers in flood-hit areas of Wundwin Township, Bago Region’s Thegon Township and Dedaye Township in Ayeyarwady Region told Frontier that as of late October, the junta and its partners had not provided any support to help them resume their livelihoods.
Win Maung said that although volunteer charity groups have donated emergency supplies of rice, edible oil and salt to his village, no one from the regime has come to help farmers or repair the damaged irrigation canals from the Kinda dam reservoir.
“It’s not possible to replant paddy without access to irrigated water,” he said. “One thing is for sure: next year’s rice yield will be lower.”
Agriculture experts and farmers warned that a decrease in rice harvests could exacerbate existing food insecurity stemming from widespread conflict in Myanmar. It could also drive up rice prices, which have already surged since the coup. Before the military seized power, one pyi (two kilogrammes) of zeeya rice cost between K1,200 and K1,300. It now ranges from K3,600 to K4,000.
U Zaw Yan, who chairs the nonprofit Farmer Honorary Network, told Frontier that the total input cost for one acre of paddy – including seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, fuel, herbicides and labour – averaged about K200,000 before the coup. However, these costs have since surged to around K1.2 million per acre.
These price increases have resulted from a combination of factors, including a reduction in the area available for rice production due to conflict, depreciation of the kyat and widespread reliance on expensive imported fertiliser. The junta’s inscrutable economic policies have also played a role, while increased out-migration from Myanmar has made labour scarcer, and wages higher.
“The main challenge for the junta now is how to compensate for the decline in rice production caused by the damaged paddy fields,” Zaw Yan said. “Looking ahead to next year, there is a real concern that we could face skyrocketing rice prices and widespread economic hardship.”
Uncertain recovery
Daw Su Su Nway, chairperson of the Myanmar Farmers Union, said the flooded fields will take a long time to recover, adding that without immediate restoration, 2025 “could be a very tough year for farmers”.
“Many farmers are unable to restore fields that have been damaged by the accumulation of silt, and they still suffer from lack of irrigation water for cultivation,” she said. “Farmers haven’t received any assistance from authorities, including support with seeds or land restoration.”
U Pauk Sa, a 57-year-old farmer from a village in Bago’s Thegon Township, said the regime needs to quickly provide the promised zero-interest loans to farmers to cover input costs so they can resume planting.
He said his three acres of paddy fields, along with over 750 acres of neighbouring farmers’ fields, were submerged under nearly two metres of water for more than a month. Each farmer in his village had invested at least K1 million per acre to grow monsoon rice. Without support, they will struggle to get back on their feet.
“I had to borrow money [locally] to plant this season’s monsoon rice. All my paddy fields were destroyed. It’s going to be a real challenge to replant,” he said.
Agriculture specialist U Tun Myint, who requested that a pseudonym be used due to security concerns, said farmland will likely produce reduced yields until flood damage is repaired.
“Quick action is needed. The first step should be for the agriculture ministry to conduct soil tests to determine whether the flood-affected farmland has lost any nutrients. Cultivating high yields is more difficult if soil nutrients are depleted,” he said.
Tun Myint said the ministry then needs to help farmers replenish depleted soil, adding they “should also be provided with seeds as quickly as possible so they can resume planting”.
“Irrigation officials also need to clear silted canals and repair any damaged water distribution channels,” he said. “Authorities must act quickly to restore the affected areas – within two months of the flooding at the latest. The sooner, the better.”
A resident of Yangon’s Thaketa Township said she’s fearful that if September’s flooding results in soaring rice prices, the already thin margin between her K350,000 monthly income and the overall cost of living “will become even tighter”.
“Commodity prices are rising, but incomes are not increasing at the same pace. It’s something many families are struggling with,” the woman told Frontier, asking not to be named for her safety. “Once prices go up, they never seem to come back down, which leaves lower-income families bearing the burden.”