The political unrest in Myanmar is driving up food and fuel prices, risking pushing the country's most vulnerable people further into poverty, the UN's World Food Programme warned Tuesday.

The price of palm oil is up 20 percent in the areas around the biggest city, Yangon, compared to the start of February, when the military ousted and detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking mass protests.

Rice prices in the peri-urban areas of Yangon and the second largest city, Mandalay, were meanwhile up four percent since the last week of February, the WFP said.

Across the whole country, the price of rice -- a food staple -- rose by three percent between mid-January and mid-February, while in a few areas prices soared by between 20 and 35 percent.

The price of pulses rose by 15 percent between January and February in northern Rakhine's Maungdaw township.

"These initial signs are troubling, especially for the most vulnerable people who were already living meal-to-meal," said WFP Myanmar country director Stephen Anderson.

"Coming on top of the COVID-19 pandemic, if these price trends continue they will severely undermine the ability of the poorest and most vulnerable to put enough food on the family table."

The average retail price of cooking oil rose by 27 percent across northern Rakhine between January and February, and by 11 percent in central Rakhine state.

The cost of fuel nationwide has risen by 15 percent since February 1, with even steeper hikes in northern Rakhine, "raising concerns about further food price hikes", the WFP said.

The WFP said it was building up a contingency food stock as part of its efforts to support more than 360,000 people in Myanmar, mostly those who are internally displaced and living in camps.

"WFP reiterates the call of the United Nations secretary-general for the will of the Myanmar people expressed in recent elections to be respected," said Anderson.

"At WFP we know all too well how hunger can quickly follow when peace and dialogue are sidelined."

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
A world of storm and tempest
When the Earth Quakes

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Jeff Bezos names Andrew Steer to lead $10B Earth Fund
Washington DC (UPI) Mar 10, 2021
Jeff Bezos on Tuesday named World Resources Institute CEO Andrew Steer to lead his $10 billion Earth Fund. "I am deeply honored to have been invited by @JeffBezos to become the first President and CEO of the $10B Earth Fund," Steer tweeted. "It will address climate, nature and environmental justice." Steer, who has a Ph.D. in international economics and finance, added that Bezos aims to spend the $10 billion to reach sustainable development goals by 2030. "The Earth Fund will invest in ... read more