By MPA
YANGON, Myanmar — The surging retail price of a single chicken egg to an unprecedented 700 MMK is not merely the result of localized trade restrictions, but a direct symptom of severe macroeconomic instability that has compounded in Myanmar over the past five years, a former senior finance official has warned.
U Set Aung, former Deputy Minister of Planning and Finance under the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) administration, published a sharp economic critique on his social media platform on Wednesday, warning that the country’s market foundations are systematically breaking down.
Addressing the military junta’s recent crackdowns on merchants and enforced price ceilings, the former minister stressed that simply lifting restrictive regulations will not immediately fix the damaged market ecosystem.
“It is critical to first recognize that current policy directions are fundamentally wrong,” U Set Aung stated. “There must be a genuine political will to reform, paired with a concrete, realistic roadmap for economic recovery.”
The economist heavily criticized the regime’s long-standing reliance on short-term fixes—such as arresting local traders and enforcing arbitrary price ceilings—pointing out that forcing vendors to sell eggs below market value at 550 MMK will only drive supplies out of the market.
“If production does not increase, supply remains stagnant. As long as basic production inputs—such as animal feed, veterinary medicine, and raw materials—remain scarce, boosting output is an impossibility. When supply stays frozen while demand persists, basic economic theory dictates that prices cannot drop. Enforcing a strict price ceiling only intensifies product shortages.” — U Set Aung, Former Deputy Minister of Planning and Finance
U Set Aung concluded with a stern warning, noting that if the military council continues its current trajectory of market intervention and reactive crackdowns, the economic conditions for everyday citizens will inevitably deteriorate further.
Macroeconomic analysts note that Myanmar’s spiraling inflation, driven by foreign exchange shortages, transport disruptions, and agricultural supply chain shocks, continues to severely diminish the purchasing power of ordinary households across the country.
