Farmers Eagerly Await Govt Decision On Paddy Floor Price

JERLUN, Feb 5 (Bernama) -- Farmers in Kedah are hopeful that the new minimum purchase price for paddy, set to be announced next week, will bring positive news for them.

Ahmad Saad, 73, a paddy farmer from Ayer Hitam, said he hoped the new floor price would help ease the burden of rising agricultural input costs and equipment rental.

“We are really hoping the new price will be reasonable. Private mills have started buying paddy for up to RM1,500 per tonne, but prices can drop anytime, just like last season, which has left many farmers disappointed.

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“If the new floor price is implemented soon, we’ll be able to benefit from it for the upcoming harvest season,” he said today.

A paddy farmer from Kampung Batas Bengkok, Sanglang, Hamdi Ahmad, 40, said if the floor price remains unchanged, farmers will continue to struggle and cannot pass down the paddy fields to their children.

“Some have already stopped farming, while others have sold their land because it’s no longer profitable. Young people aren’t interested in taking over. If this continues, who will be left to farm the paddy fields?

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“The increase in the purchase price of paddy is crucial because farmers are getting poorer by the day. Everything is getting more expensive: seeds, pesticides, machinery rental and even land leases,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mohd Shukor Mustafa, 40, expressed relief over Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement of cash subsidies under the BUDI MADANI initiative to help farmers cope with rising diesel prices.

“The diesel price hike has hit me hard since I own three agriculture machines. A tank of diesel at the new price barely lasts two days, and the cost is becoming a real burden,” said the farmer from Pida 2, Sanglang.

Meanwhile, MADA Young Farmers Coordinating Committee chairman Aswadil Khairi Che Omar urged farmers to continue praying for a favourable announcement.

“For now, we just have to wait and earnestly pray that our wishes will be granted. We’ve submitted memorandums and held demonstrations, now, we have to wait for the announcement,” he said.

On the RM1 billion allocation for the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (MADA) to increase paddy yields by 70 per cent, Aswadil Khairi said he welcomed the move, saying farmers were eager to see infrastructure improvements.

“The fund is mainly for infrastructure upgrades to boost paddy production. The irrigation system, in particular, needs to be deepened and widened. These measures show the government’s continued commitment to farmers,” he added.

-- BERNAMA