Despite fertilizer prices having decreased compared to last year, there are fewer customers in the markets in Mon State, claimed shop owners from Mudon Township.
“I cannot run my business well. Last year, we lost customers because the fertilizer prices had increased. Although this year fertilizer prices have gone down, we still do not have many customers,” a fertilizer shop owner from Mudon said.
The current cost of fertilizers imported from Thailand is Kyat 46,000 for a 50 kg bag and for low quality fertilizers the cost is about Kyat 30,000. Last year this time for high quality fertilizers from Thailand, the cost was Kyat 70,000 and for low quality it was Kyat 40,000. The cost of fertilizers from China was Kyat 27,000 per bag in the previous year and now it is about Kyat 19,000.
“Even though fertilizer prices decreased from last year, we cannot buy it in large quantities because the rubber prices are down by half for this year. We need fertilizers for our plantation, but if the price increases, we reduce the amount of fertilizers,” a rubber planter from Mudon Township said.
Most people in Mon State are dependent on paddy and rubber plantations. Since last October, rubber and paddy prices have gone down due to the economic crisis in Burma.
“Fertilizer prices have come down, it is very good for farmers but we cannot use a lot of fertilizers in the paddy fields because of prices of paddy for this year. If fertilizer prices increase, we also cannot use them,” said a farmer in Mudon Town.
After the fertilizer prices increased since last year, some farmers use natural fertilizers such as cow excreta and composite soil from villages in their fields.
“I use fertilizers in my field in a small amount, we use mostly cow excreta,” said Mi Moe, a farm owner in Bago Division, who is currently cultivating about 27 acres of paddy field.
Farmers use 4 bags [a 50 kg bag] of fertilizers for one acre of land. If the farmer uses urea fertilizers, they can produce about 50 baskets per one acre, and if they do not use fertilizers, they can just produce about 30 baskets.
“I have bought fertilizers for Kyat 4,20,000 for this year, I could just buy half last year because of the prices. We needed to put fertilizers in our rubber plantations every year, if we can use it more, the plant will become strong and also produce more rubber, that is why rubber plantation owners and farmers are using fertilizers,” said a plantation owner from Thanphyuzayat Township.
Since the rubber prices have decreased, the cost of fertilizers has also come down. Most fertilizer traders have comported fertilizers from Thailand, now most rubber plantations, just use fertilizers from Thailand said fertilizer owners from Mudon Township.
Farmers in Burma use fertilizers imported from China, India, Bangladesh, and Thailand, according to a former manager of the Myanmar Agricultural Service (MAS). The Burmese junta produces about 0.1 million baskets per year, but Burmese farmers need about 0.5 billion baskets a year.
