KUALA LUMPUR, 7 Nov — Paddy planting in Malaysia’s rice belt of Kedah and Perlis is set to be delayed this year, as 90 per cent of farmers under the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) reportedly failed to obtain a supply of seeds in time for the second planting season.
Utusan Malaysia quoted Perlis Agriculture and Agro-based Industries executive councillor (exco) Razali Saad saying that only 7.4 per cent of 9,171 paddy farmers in Perlis have begun planting while the rest are still waiting.
“This paddy seeds crisis must be taken seriously considering farmers face the same recurring problem every season. Up until today, many still cannot start farming because of the delay,” the Perikatan Nasional state assemblyman told the paper.
He also said that the maximum ceiling price of paddy seed at RM40 per 20-kg sack at the wholesale level could not be maintained, causing the price to shoot up to RM50 per sack instead.
“We worry that if this continues, farmers would call it a day and subsequently leave this job,” he reportedly said.
It was reported that the same situation is facing Mada farmers in Kedah, where only 10.1 per cent of them have started planting for the season between September 27 and November 11, compared to 30 per cent in the same period previously.
“Among the reasons for the delay is that farmers have failed to get the seeds in time. Not only were the certified seeds not supplied to the respective farmer areas’ organisations, but they were also sold at a higher price than the retail price of RM45,” Mada chairman Datuk Ismail Salleh was quoted in a separate report telling a press conference.
“Only the organisations followed the ministry’s directive to sell at retail price, but other supplies who don’t follow it do not even face any action.”
Last month, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said his ministry has implemented the new ceiling price for the Certified Padi Seed Incentive programme in peninsular Malaysia effective October 20.
The maximum ceiling price has been raised to RM40 from RM31 per 20-kilogramme (kg) sack at the wholesale level and RM45 from the previous RM35 at the retail level, he added.
He said that the government decided to raise the floor price of rice from RM1,200 per metric tonne to RM1,300 as part of the Budget 2024 on October 13, which is expected to impact the price of rice, especially seeds.
Mohamad said that his ministry also expects the rise in paddy seeds to affect the cost of seed production, including those under the incentive programme, making the existing ceiling price of RM35 per 20kg sack unfeasible.
In a separate report, the chairman of activist group Suara Tani Malaysia, Mohd Shazwan Suban, revealed that some suppliers are even selling the seeds at up to RM56 per sack — after adding “extra charges” to the retail price.
“The extra charges were not included in the receipt, they only recorded the RM45 price. Farmers have no choice but to buy it,” he told Utusan Malaysia.
Yesterday, the New Straits Times reported Malaysian Padi Farmers Brotherhood Organisation (Pesawah) met MPs in Dewan Rakyat to highlight the severity of the issue.
Its executive council member Abdul Rashid Yob said paddy farmers nationwide are struggling to get their hands on the certified seeds from suppliers, forcing them to purchase seeds from the black market at inflated prices.
