YANGON, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's rice producers and traders have retailed rice at lower prices in the country's commercial hub of Yangon starting from Wednesday as food prices are soaring.
In the commercial hub Yangon, the price of Emata rice, or the Myanmar long grain rice, a staple food for locals, and the special groundnut oil increased by about 5.8 percent and 6.4 percent on Wednesday respectively, compared to a week earlier, showed the Central Statistical Organization (CSO)'s data.
Daw Nwe, a woman from a family of eight, told Xinhua that she came from Mingaladon, a township located at the northernmost part of Yangon, to purchase the rice at the depot after hearing of the rice sales days ago.
"Commodity prices keep rising, and it is a tough time for us. It is very difficult even to make ends meet in these days," she said, adding that she has saved about 10,000 kyats (about 5.4 U.S. dollars) for her family by purchasing a 108-pound rice bag from the depot.
Although Myanmar is an agricultural country and a rice exporter, commodity prices including that of rice are on rise amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The lower-priced rice sale is aimed at helping households in the country reduce their spending on rice as commodity prices soar, a rice trader from the sales group said.
"We are selling varieties of rice at lower prices for the public. We have planned to continue the sales for about three months until the next harvest season arrives," Zaw Khaing, a joint secretary of the Wahdan Rice And Paddy Wholesale Depot, told Xinhua.
"We have imposed a purchase limit of a rice bag for per household," he said, adding that the move is to prevent the buyers from reselling the rice. ■
