Weaving business owners in Sagaing Region’s Shwebo Township told DVB that rising fuel prices and shortages caused by the energy crisis due to the war in Iran since Feb. 28 have forced small-scale weaving businesses to halt operations. Shwebo, located 57 miles (91 km) northeast of the Sagaing Region capital Monywa, is contested between regime forces and the People’s Defence Force (PDF).
A business owner in Shwebo told DVB on the condition of anonymity that the weaving machines run on diesel generators as the regime’s Ministry of Electric Power cut off electricity to Shwebo in 2022. She added that businesses with more than five weaving machines are now operating at a “very low” profit margin due to a spike in diesel prices.
Diesel prices rose from 5,680-6,485 MMK ($1.30-1.50 USD) per liter for regular and 6,805-7,755 MMK ($1.60-1.80 USD) for premium April 9-15, according to the regime-controlled Petroleum Products Regulatory Department, which also set prices for one litre of 92-octane gasoline at 4,735 MMK ($1.12 USD) and 95-octane gasoline at 4,945 MMK ($1.17 USD) on April 15.
A weaving industry worker in Shwebo told DVB on the condition of anonymity that he is paid 13,000 MMK ($3.09 USD) per day and his motorcycle consumes one liter of gasoline every two days commuting to and from work, which makes him unable to earn enough income due to the rising fuel prices.
The business owner in Shwebo added that the price of a bundle of yarn—containing 200 hanks and weighing 10 lbs (4.5 kg)—to make unisex cotton longyi, a cylindrical piece of cloth worn in Myanmar wrapped around the waist like a sarong, is priced between 13,000-19,000 MMK ($3.09-4.50 USD).
The cost per longyi in Myanmar rose from 180,000–205,000 MMK ($42-48 USD) in March due to higher transportation costs. The regime’s Ministry of Energy claimed on April 6 that it has 40 days of gasoline and 50 days of diesel in reserve, adding that 36 shiploads of fuel will be imported in April.
