Hungry farmers grow rice, but the State takes it away without otherwise providing for their food security. This is severe injustice. The paddy quota is inherently unfair, unrealistically and inflexibly assessing how much rice farmers can spare. Furthermore, through this coercive system the government pays little for rice destined to bring high profits in overseas markets, with no commensurate payment to farmers whatsoever. Corruption and quota pressures mean sometimes farmers must sell even more paddy than calculated.
Agents subtract moisture content, and thus demand greater volume.
Farmers have little choice but to accept these adjustments. In addition to the MAPT quota, local authorities compel farmers to sell more rice at MAPT prices. This black-market quota may amount to several percent of paddy production. In remote areas, the army conducts virtually all paddy procurement, arbitrarily and with force. It appears that this system is a major cause of inflation in Burma's economy.