Izham says RM600mil will be used to upgrade old irrigation systems. Hashim.— KK SHAM/The Star
A REQUEST for RM1bil to improve padi yield is being studied by Selangor before being forwarded to the Federal Government, says state infrastructure and agriculture committee chairman Datuk Izham Hashim.
The allocation is being sought by Selangor Northwest Inte-grated Agricultural Development Area (IADA Barat Laut Selangor).
Izham said RM600mil was proposed to upgrade old irrigation systems, build additional ponds and repair sinkholes.
He was responding to Nurul Syazwani Noh (PN-Permatang) and Mohd Razali Saari (PN-Sungai Panjang) who asked about rice prices and the effectiveness of subsidy distribution to padi farmers.
“In Selangor, we have carried out research to look into increasing padi yields.
“Though places like Sekinchan, Sungai Leman and Sungai Nipah can come up with yields of between four and seven tonnes per hectare, there are still areas like Sungai Panjang and Sungai Terap that are only producing between two and two-and-a-half tonnes per hectare.
“So we have to look at how to improve padi yields in these areas,” he said.
Izham said there had been an increase in floor prices for rice from RM1,200 to RM1,300 per tonne in 2023 and from RM1,300 to RM1,500 in 2025.
He noted that any increase would affect the price of local white rice (BPT) which had been set at RM2.60 per kg.
In answer to Nurul Syazwani’s additional questions on diesel and other subsidies, Izham said technical details were still being fine-tuned at federal level, not only for padi farmers but also fishermen.
“At present, the amount of subsidies for seeds, fertiliser, liming, ploughing and chemicals that are being given out for padi planting is RM4,302 per hectare.
“In a year, this totals up to RM2.6bil, making it the crop with the highest allocation.
“Padi farmers are also given subsidies for outputs at RM500 per tonne,” he said.
Mohd Razali said that during the last planting season, he had observed that the distribution of fertiliser subsidies was not handled well by a contractor, who did not have the resources to deliver to padi farmers in Sungai Panjang due to differing planting schedules.
He also pointed out that the delivery was late, by which time farmers had already started ploughing their land. Some plots had already been planted.
Acknowledging the problem, Izham said IADA Barat Laut Selangor was providing feedback to the Agriculture Department to iron out weaknesses and ensure smoother delivery of subsidies in the future.
