Some rice traders are being summoned and investigated for not selling according to the set price : Myanmar

Some rice traders from Yangon and Irrawaddy regions are being summoned by the Military Council for examination on June 21 for not selling at the set price, said people who trade rice with rice traders.

A person close to the rice traders told RFA that the rice traders are being interrogated in Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw.

"Some are in Nay Pyi Taw, Some of them are homes in Yangon and Irrawaddy. I heard that he was arrested at the fairs. The main thing seems to be asking about playing rice prices. Some are difficult. In the case of palm oil, there was an example of being caught, so they gambled. I heard that some venues were closed, but I can't confirm that.”

Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF) Chairman U Ye Min Aung and Vice Chairman U Lu Maw Myint Maung are also being summoned to Nay Pyi Taw for interrogation, some rice traders said.

When RFA contacted MRF chairman U Ye Min Aung by telephone today, he only responded that he was not ready to answer the phone.

The rice traders do not yet know exactly which rice traders are being summoned for inspection, and RFA has not yet been able to independently confirm.

A rice trader, who did not want to be named for security reasons, told RFA that it would not be convenient for him to sell at the price set by the military council.

"At the price set by them (the startups), we cannot even buy rice at the factory. If they sell as they say, there will be more rice in the market. They have been doing it in the past. They sell mixed with a little good rice, and so on. They will not get the rice worth the money they pay. Because no one will do it without losing.”

He said the price of rice has tripled since the military coup.

The Military Council has not released anything regarding this matter, and RFA contacted the Yangon and Irrawaddy Division spokespeople of the Military Council by telephone, but they did not receive an answer.

The Military Council has determined that a bag of Shwe Bo Por Sanmhu (fine rice) will be sold between Kyat 135,000 and Kyat 145,000, and a bag of Gusmat (coarse rice) between Kyat 77,000 and Kyat 79,000.

In the current market, a bag of Shwe Bo Por San Mhu (Smooth Rice) costs 178,000 kyats. Rice sellers said that a bag of raw rice is priced at nearly 100,000 kyats.