Standardisation of floor price for padi in Sarawak, Sabah a boost for farmers — Minister

KUCHING: The move to standardise the floor price of padi purchases in the country will set a positive tone for the state towards moving up the value chain of this crop, says Minister for Food Industries, Commodities and Regional Development Sarawak Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom.

The Kemena assemblyman regards the new floor price for padi in Sabah and Sarawak, up from RM750 per metric tonne previously to RM1,300 now, as one that ‘encourages the farmers to plant padi as much as possible’.

“Before this, padi price was RM950 per metric tonne in Peninsular Malaysia, whereas in Sabah and Sarawak, it was RM750 per metric tonne –now, the price is standardised at RM1300 per metric tonne.

“Thus, with Sabah and Sarawak having the same price as in the peninsula, hopefully this would encourage more farmers to go for padi planting,” he told thesundaypost when asked to comment on the new floor price for padi in Sabah and Sarawak, effective on Feb 15.

Federal Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, who announced the new pricing during his visit to ‘Jelapang Padi Batang Lupar’ event at Dewan Nangkai Stumblin in Sri Aman near here last week, said the decision was made as part of the government’s efforts to increase farmers’ incomes and encourage them to increase rice production.

Meanwhile, Dr Rundi said while the standardisation of the floor price of padi should bear a positive outlook for the farmers, more efforts would be required to ensure the sustainability of padi production.

He learned that Sarawak’s self-sufficiency level (SSL) for rice was currently at 34 per cent, which could be attributed to the declining number of active padi farmers.

He also said there were only 78,000 hectares of land used for padi planting in Sarawak, a significant drop of 37 per cent in less than 10 years.

“So the federal government must also think of ways to boost farmers’ confidence so that they would not suffer losses whenever padi price is increased.

“Efforts need to be enhanced,” he pointed out.

Dr Rundi said many farmers had shifted into cultivating more profitable crops like oil palm or pineapple.

“Many regard the (padi) harvest and working in the fields under the hot scorching sun, as not worth the cost.

“Another part of the problems is the lack of interest among the younger generation. More and more young people migrate to the urban areas in search of jobs.”

Another hurdle was the lack of infrastructure, added Dr Rundi.