Maungdaw: A cargo ship carrying rice arrived and anchored on Tuesday in Maungdaw, a western Burma border town, which was recently hit by floods and landslides, but the rice is not intended as relief aid for victims, said locals.

"The cargo ship carried 3,000 rice sacks to Maungdaw from Sittwe, but it is for sale in the markets, not for flood victims. A rice company sent it to Maungdaw to be sold at lower prices, after the price of rice skyrocketed after the floods," an eyewitness said.

The rice company, in Paukwa, sent the rice to Maungdaw following an agreement with the local authorities that it could be sold to local residents at prices that undercut the current market prices.

A rice merchant said, "The Company plans to sell the rice to local people for 15,000 Kyat per sack. This is 5,000 Kyat less than the price of rice in local markets, but it is not enough to meet the local demand."

In Maungdaw Township, the price of rice and other commodities spiraled soon after floods began because the only road used to transport goods into the area was badly damaged.

In the Maungdaw markets, the price of lower grade rice rose from 15,000 Kyat per 25-kilogram sack to 20,000 Kyat, while the higher grade rice increased from 27,000 Kyat per sack to 31,000 Kyat.

Prices of other commodities, including onions, legumes, cooking oil, chili, sugar, salt, and eggs have also increased recently.

The price of onions doubled from 400 Kyat per viss to 800 Kyat, while the price of garlic went up from 3,200 Kyat to 3,600 Kyat. Cooking oil increased from 2,200 Kyat to 2,600 Kyat, and the price of sugar increased from 1,200 Kyat per viss to 1,600 Kyat.

People in Maungdaw, where the most people were affected by the floods, are suffering from the rising prices of rice and essential commodities.

The military government recently announced that they are providing relief aid to flood victims in Buthidaung and Maungdaw, but the amount of aid reaching people is limited and insufficient.

It was learnt that flood victims have now returned to their homes from shelters set up in Maungdaw Township, but they have not yet received any material from the government to help rebuild their damaged homes.