The Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF) issued a statement on March 21 urging the rice industry not to purchase and store more fuel and fertilizers than necessary due to the fuel situation.

The armed conflicts in the Middle East have caused price increases and instability in the international oil and petroleum product markets, so the government has issued a notice to conserve fuel and has adopted and implemented measures to do so.

In the rice industry, fuel is needed for plowing, planting, irrigation, harvesting, threshing, drying, rice milling, and transportation. At this time, neighboring countries are also systematically planning and implementing conservation measures. Therefore, it is recommended that the fuel and fertilizers required for the rice industry should not be purchased and stored in large quantities than necessary and that the above information be known and cooperated with.

These points are (a) to prioritize the needs of farmers in terms of fuel, to provide timely assistance to rice mill owners, traders and companies to ensure timely availability of diesel for irrigation, water distribution, tractors and harvesters, especially to prepare portable solar water pumps and solar pump systems with solar panels, and to arrange for farmers, rice mill owners, companies and entrepreneurs to purchase and arrange for rental services for small and marginal farmers; (b) to coordinate with the ward, township, and department officials to prioritize the distribution of diesel required for harvesting and threshing machines in order to harvest and thresh ripe rice on time, and to communicate and coordinate with the MRF if necessary; (c) to reduce the amount of diesel in transportation and milling production to the actual need and to use it sparingly, to plan in advance for milling production models in collaboration with solar-equipped rice mills, and to install solar panels in rice mills; (d) since the prices of chemical fertilizers have also increased due to the instability in the international oil and petroleum products market and the suspension of exports by some countries, it has been found that the prices of chemical fertilizers have also increased, so that the production and use of natural fertilizers and bio-fertilizers that take time to prepare for agriculture can be planned in advance.

The Myanmar Rice Federation announced that it is coordinating with the government departments, the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) and sister associations and companies.