Farmers said that last year each sack of potatoes could be sold for 6,000 to 7,000 Myanmar kyat, but this year the price is only around 2,000 Myanmar kyat, so they are facing losses. A local farmer said: "Planting potatoes requires a large investment and yields a high return, but this year the price is bad, resulting in a lot of losses. The expenses for buying medicine, fertilizers, water fees, pipeline fees, fertilizer costs, and hiring labor are enormous. Now the price is not good, and potatoes cannot be stored for a long time, so many people have no choice but to sell at a loss." In most villages in the Nawnghkio area of Pinlaung Township in southern Shan State, potatoes are the main crop. Locals said that last year the potato prices were good, and even middlemen came to the villages to purchase, but this year they have not come to purchase. A local said: "Because the checkpoints charge too much, they dare not come to the village to purchase. If transporting fresh agricultural products, some checkpoints charge over ten thousand kyat per vehicle. Some checkpoints even detain vehicles. For these reasons, middlemen dare not come to the village, and the farmers have no choice but to transport them to Hpa-an to sell." Farmers who grow potatoes said that some local families in Pinlaung and Nawnghkio areas rely entirely on potato cultivation for their income, so they are currently facing livelihood difficulties. It is understood that farmers in Pinlaung and Nawnghkio areas plant two seasons of potatoes each year: one season during the rainy season and another during the hot season, using irrigation for cultivation.