Efforts to boost electricity supply for rice mills in rice-growing regions

The Myanmar Rice Federation has disclosed ongoing discussions to secure an additional four hours of electricity in areas with numerous rice mills to enable them to operate at total capacity.
Rice mills in the Ayeyawady, Yangon, and Bago Regions have been operating below capacity due to inadequate access to electricity, resulting in decreased rice production reaching the market.
Authorities are deliberating on ensuring a continuous four-hour supply of electricity to allow rice mills to function optimally.
MRF President U Ye Min highlighted the challenges faced by rice mills in grinding paddy into rice due to limited electricity access and the resulting market fluctuations.
Negotiations involving the electricity and power departments, regional government bodies, and MRF aim to address this issue and implement planned electricity allocations in Yangon, Ayeyawady, and Bago.
Myanmar has 15 million acres of monsoon paddy fields, yielding 1,088 million baskets of rice annually, alongside two million acres of summer paddy fields contributing 213 million baskets of rice annually. — ASH/TMT