‘Padi industry needs revamp’

ALOR SETAR: It is high time the government revamp the management of the entire padi industry, including taking full control of seed and white rice production, say stakeholders.

Kedah Padi Planters Federation president Baharom Kasim urged the government to remove all cartels he believed had been behind the high cost of fertilisers, insecticides and even padi seeds.

“I believe the cartels are in control of the seeds, local white rice production and the fertilisers used by farmers.

“Some farmers complained to me that the seeds they bought were of poor quality, affecting 30% of their crops,” he said.

Baharom added that padi seeds were an important element as they could determine the output and supply of rice to the public.

“I urge the government and its agencies to monitor seed producers so that prices can be controlled and not manipulated by anyone,” he said.

Penang Agrotechnology, Food Security and Cooperative Development committee chairman Fahmi Zainol said that there were cartels behind the shortage of padi seeds in the country.

“To prevent manipulation and at the same time, control prices of padi seeds, as the state executive councillor, I will propose the creation of a padi seed bank in Penang.

“I believe this way, we can prevent any manipulation by irresponsible parties and subsequently, we can stabilise prices too,” he said, adding that such a move would need the green light from various agencies.

Meanwhile, Kampung Pelet Farmers Area Organisations chairman Mohd Fauzi Hussin, 46, said besides the escalating padi seed prices, farmers also faced issues such as the weather, equipment, labour, wages, and others.

“This has become a burden for us. High prices, poor quality and low quantity of seeds. All these are affecting rice production, and because of this, the price of white rice will be high,” he said.

He urged the government to provide affordable padi seeds to his organisation, so that they can be distributed fairly with the price being determined by the relevant authority.

Padi farmer Wan Maharuddin Sulaiman, 67, said the price of local white rice would remain high if nothing was done about the bloated padi seed prices.

“If the seed issues cannot be solved soon, I think the price of our local white rice will continue to increase,” he said.

“We have no choice but to pay between RM55 and RM70 for every 20kg, which is much higher than the RM45 ceiling price.”

The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry in a statement yesterday denied the existence of any cartel or mafia as claimed.

This is because production licences – including wholesale, export, import, padi mill, padi purchase, retail rice licences, as well as the Special Approval for Selling Certified Padi Seeds totalling 39,000 – clearly indicate that there is no such cartel or mafia capable of monopolising the rice and padi industry, it said.

It added that the rice industry is regulated by the Padi and Rice Control Authority under the Padi and Rice Control Act 1994.