Mawlamyine, November 27
In Mon State, people are unable to pick betel leaves over security concerns, and there are fewer growers after the coup, which causes the price of betel leaves to increase by nearly triple, the betel leaf traders told Than Lwin Time.
The price of betel leaf rose from around Ks 2,500 per viss in the last few months to around Ks 7,000 per viss in late November.
The yield of betel leaves has reduced due to the workers’ refusal to go and pick betel leaves from plantations in the forest for security reasons, and because betel leaves are in short supply during this season, prices are higher than they were previously.
A trader in betel leaves claimed that the laborers began to pick betel leaves from the nearby fields. Due of the low betel leaf yield, the price increases. The yield will increase after February. Betel leaf prices have now jumped from Ks 2,500 to Ks 7,000.
With the continuous rise in betel leaf prices, there are fewer betel leaf pickers; on the other hand, supply is limited, but demand is on the rise.
After the military coup, betel leaf growers reduced their operations due to rising prices of inputs, including fertilizers, and fuel.
In Mon State, betel leaves are mainly grown in Kyaikto and Belin Townships and exported to some regions and states.
News-Than Lwin Times
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