Villages locking down to contain C-19, impacting fruit markets and livelihoods in Ye

April 22, 2020

HURFOM: Concerns with the growing spread of COVID-19, has led some village authorities in Ye Township, Mon State to introduce a lockdown, and restrict residents and travellers movements. This is leaving plantation owners with difficulties to sell their seasonal fruits.

Ye Township plantations produce lemons, mangosteens, durian, betel nut and pomelo.

Most villages in Ye Township have now set up bamboo-pole gates at the entrance of their villages and are conducting medical checks on visitors. Travelers from other villages, and plantation owners were recently, not allowed access to their plantations, according to Lake Pote village resident Nai Htoo.

“Bamboo-pole gates at the village entrance allows villagers to go to their plantation but there are more restrictions on those who want to travel to the city. There are difficulties as there is no fruit market. There is no income currently so the locals are worried about their livelihoods. Both daily workers and plantation owners have problems. Plantation owners can borrow money (to ease their livelihood problems) but daily workers are really in trouble,” said Nai Htoo.

Nai Myint, a local plantation owner noted that fruits produced in Ye are typically transported to Yangon markets. But now, as fruit collectors stopped buying these commodities local plantation owners are facing a livelihood crisis. However, some plantation operations have begun to make durian jams.

Nai Htoo, added, “Large scale fruit collectors are not buying fruits so local traders have stopped buying. In this region, nearly all the villagers work on plantations so they have access to fruit products, but they can’t eat all this fruit and they can’t sell it in their region. It must be transported to other States or Divisions. But they can’t transport their fruit so there is a financial crisis” .

The Covid-19 restrictions are leaving fruit markets empty of sellers and buyers.

Written by Modinator · Filed Under News