PETALING JAYA: Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary has agreed to channel RM30mil in support of the government's efforts to aid poor padi farmers, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said the philanthropic gesture came after he made a call to Syed Mokhtar to support the government’s newest efforts to help out poor padi farmers.
“I contacted Syed Mokhtar, and Alhamdulillah, he has agreed to allocate an additional RM30mil to support the government’s efforts in helping the poor paddy farmers.
“Insya-Allah, the government will distribute this allocation directly to the poor padi farmers in the near future,” he said in a press statement across his social media platforms on Thursday (Feb 13).
Anwar also expressed his appreciation to Bernas (Padiberas Nasional Bhd), which had previously channeled RM60mil to poor padi farmers together with the Government to ensure their welfare.
The additional aid comes after Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu announced on Thursday that the padi floor price would be adjusted from RM1,300 per tonne to RM1,500 per tonne, starting from Feb 16.
However, he said the government would absorb approximately RM150mil in production costs through subsidies for six months to maintain the price of local white rice at RM2.60 per kg.
