The prices of food items in Tedim have increased due to the presence of toll gates along the Kalay-Tedim road and the rising fuel prices.

In recent days, the prices of basic food items and transportation fares in Tedim have increased. This is attributed to the toll fees along the Kalay-Tedim road and the rising fuel costs, according to some drivers operating along the Kalay-Tedim route.

One driver explained, “Traveling from Kalay to Tedim involves passing through several toll gates, including those at Taungphila Junction, the University gate, Khai Kam, Tai-ngen, and Suanzang. At a minimum, minibuses incur about 220,000 Kyats in toll fees. These fees are paid to both military council checkpoints and those set up by resistance groups. On the return trip, all gates except the Suzan gate usually collect fees again, though there are occasional discounts. Excluding fuel costs, these toll fees alone result in losses. Minibuses need at least seven passengers to break even. If there are fewer than seven passengers, drivers have to coordinate with other lines to share loads. Even with seven passengers, if there are no return passengers from Tedim to Kalay, the loss is inevitable. Some vehicle owners have stopped their operations, preferring to keep their vehicles idle. On social media, some criticize the 80,000 Kyat fare as excessive, but the current situation means we’re just trying to keep the service running. Most travelers now rely on motorcycles,” he said.

A potato farmer from a village along the Kalay-Tedim road said, “To make it convenient for travelers, we had to sell potatoes by the roadside at 3,000 Kyats per basket. If taken to Kalay, buyers would purchase at 4,500 Kyats per kilo. However, after factoring in transport costs, I realized that I was losing both time and money, so I’ve stopped sending them to Kalay.”

Before the 2021 military coup, a bag of Ayarmin old rice sold for around 60,000 Kyats in Tedim. Currently, it costs about 150,000 Kyats in Kalay and 170,000 Kyats in Tedim . Transport costs for a bag of rice or cement were previously around 2,000 Kyats, but this rose to 12,000 Kyats before the fighting in TEdim and now costs around 20,000 Kyats. Before the coup, bus fares between Kalay and Tedim were a maximum of 8,000 Kyats, but now passengers pay 80,000 Kyats. There is no difference in petrol prices between Kalay and Tedim , according to a Tedim resident who frequently travels between the two towns.

In the past, before the conflict in Tedim , the roads connecting Kalay, Zo Zang, Dal Lwin, Twi Sauk, and Tedim , as well as the routes between Kalay, Khai Kam, Paim Pi, Twi Sauk, and Tedim , required detours through Taingen village, making the journey difficult and rough. At one point, fares for Kalay to Tedim were as high as 90,000 Kyats for outbound trips and 80,000 Kyats for returns. During the conflict in Tedim , the road from Tedim-Taingen-Kalay was closed for months to accommodate internally displaced persons. Relevant resistance forces have since reopened the road, but occasional closures due to military operations still occur, with reopening efforts typically following a few days later, as reported by local travelers.