Padi Floor Price: Mohamad To Deliver Ministerial Statement On Feb 13

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 7 (Bernama) -- Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu will deliver a ministerial statement in Parliament on Feb 13 regarding the rice issue, particularly the floor price for padi.

The matter was announced by Communications Minister and government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil during a post-Cabinet meeting press conference today.

"The ministerial statement will be presented in Parliament, followed by a debate. So, we will wait for the full statement from the minister on Feb 13," he said.

The government is expected to announce an increase in the padi purchase floor price next week, along with additional subsidies to offset the impact on consumers, particularly concerning rice prices.

In 2023, the government raised the padi purchase floor price to RM1,300 per tonne from RM1,200 per tonne, which had been in place since 2014. 

However, the Pertubuhan Persaudaraan Pesawah Malaysia (PeSAWAH) recently urged the government to consider its proposal to raise the padi floor price from RM1,300 per tonne to RM1,800 per tonne.

On Nov 11, 2024, Mohamad said the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry had also discussed a proposal to set the padi purchase floor price at RM1,500 per tonne with the National Cost of Living Action Council.

When asked about the progress of social media licensing and whether additional service providers would be granted operating licences, Fahmi said the government would provide updates next week.

Previously, internet messaging and social media service providers ByteDance (TikTok), Tencent (WeChat), and Telegram were granted the Application Service Provider Class Licence (ASP (C)), allowing them to operate in Malaysia.

Social media giant Meta is in the final stages of obtaining the licence.

-- BERNAMA