About 80 per cent of livestock businesses in Mon State have been forced to close since the February 2021 coup, due to increased costs.
In Mon State the main livestock businesses are poultry, pig and fish farms as well as smaller scale farms raising goats, cattle, and quail.
Following the coup, prices of imported goods such as animal feed and medicine skyrocketed. Transport costs and general expenses also rose. This has forced many livestock farmers in Mon State out of business.
Subsequently, this has led to significant price rises in meat and poultry products in Mon State, with prices of some livestock products in the state now four times more expensive than before the coup. Now, one viss (approximately 1.63kg) of chicken sells for about 24,000 MMK, one viss of pork sells for 30,000 MMK, and a single egg costs around 600 MMK.
Previously, before the coup, one viss of chicken cost about 5,000 MMK in Mon State.
A livestock farmer said that the increased costs, especially of imported animal feed, has made it very hard for livestock farmers to operate which has led to a decrease in meat production and an increase in prices.
He said: “The number of ranchers has dropped drastically, as the imported animal feed essential for us has become extremely expensive. Currently, about 80% of ranchers and poultry owners have gone out of business, leaving only 20% still operating. This has caused an imbalance in supply and demand, driving prices up.”
For instance, since the coup, chicken feed in Mon State has become three times more expensive. Before the coup a bag of imported chicken feed cost about 30,000 MMK, now the same bag costs about 100,000 MMK.
According to a Mon State poultry farmer, many other poultry farmers in the state have had to stop operating due to the increase in price of chicken feed.
He said: “I raise chickens on my poultry farm, and now the price of a bag of chicken feed has exceeded 100,000 MMK. One bag lasts just one day for 500 chickens. I haven’t even mentioned the cost of medicine and electricity bills yet. Even the [cost of] feed alone is very stressful. Also, poultry farms have very little profit, so there are only a few people in Mon State still operating poultry farms.”
As well as the rising costs, animal deaths in the Mon State livestock sector are currently higher because of seasonal changes in the weather. This is exacerbating farmers’ financial losses and forcing some to give up livestock farming for good.
