Padi floor price hike to RM1,500 brings relief to farmers
Parit Abas farmer, Zulfahmi Akhyar, 35, said the RM200 increase has somewhat helped ease the rising costs of cultivating padi fields.
"Previously, we were affected by the increase in diesel prices, not to mention the costs of seeds, pesticides, and other necessities.
"Moreover, this season we did not receive the RM600 interim assistance while waiting for the padi to mature, as we had before.
"So this additional RM200 helps ease the burden we've been carrying in managing our fields.
"Many small-scale farmers like me can't bear the cost of living and farming at the same time. This move at least gives us some breathing room," he said.
He added that he hopes the government will continue to listen to farmers and consider additional aid in the future, especially during the monsoon season, which greatly affects harvests.
Last October, the government's decision to increase the padi purchase floor price to RM1,300 per tonne under the 2024 Budget, up from RM1,200, which had remained unchanged since 2014, brought relief to farmers struggling with the rising costs of rice farming.
Another farmer, Mohd Naim Othman, 34, said that in his seven years of farming, this was the best news he had received.
"Back in the early 2000s, the floor price was only RM1,200. The increase to RM1,300 gave farmers renewed motivation to continue working the fields.
"Today's announcement by the prime minister truly brings new hope to farmers, as we had nearly given up due to the rising costs of farming.
"Now, this eases our hardship a little and gives new spirit to us, the younger generation, to keep cultivating padi," he said.
He added that the younger generation needs support from the government to remain in this sector, and such an increase shows that their hard work is being valued.
"Support like this must continue, not just for profit, but for the sake of national food security," he said.
Earlier today Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the minimum purchase price of padi has been increased to RM1,500 for this year, and the paddy price subsidy scheme rate has also been raised to RM500.
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