SABAK BERNAM, June 9 ― Paddy farmers are facing tough times as intermediary firms licensed by Padi Beras Nasional Bhd (Bernas) to purchase the grains from farmers have reduced payments for yields, according to Parti Amanah Negara’s (Amanah) Azhar Shukur today.
The Sungai Besar candidate claimed the rate of subtraction from spoilt yields have gone up from the previous 15 and 18 per cent to 18 and 23 per cent since January.
“This is exorbitant as this translates to about RM400 and RM500 for an average plot of yield sold to these companies,” he told a news conference.
A check by Malay Mail Online confirmed this to be the case for several farmers in the area.
“These companies behave like thugs. They pay us peanuts for our hard work without factoring in that other costs have increased,” a farmer who chose to remained anonymous said.
He said pesticides and fertilisers have increased by several folds in recent years even as payments for yields reduced.
“We are getting poorer and poorer but that doesn't seem to be the problem for these companies,” he said.
In the Sungai Besar constituency, the total area of paddy field is about 8,000 hectares with most of them located in DAP's stronghold Sekinchan.
About 3,000 families are also said to be relying solely on paddy field yields to put food on their table.
Earlier today, Azhar said the reduction in payment translated to about RM11.5 million in losses to farmers in the parliamentary constituency.
“Among the reasons why this happens is because of the monopoly of middle companies appointed by Bernas.
“It is okay to maintain a rate of 15 per cent (in subtracting ruined paddy yields) but not more than that,” he said.
Azhar then pledged that if he was elected as the area's MP, he would bring the matter to Parliament to reduce the rate and remove the need for middlemen.
Azhar is taking on Barisan Nasional's Budiman Mohd Zohdi and PAS's Dr Abdul Rani Osman in the June 18 poll.
