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Thursday, October 08, 2020

Even our rice production hampered by coruption

Malaysiakini:



Ex-minister calls on govt to let paddy farmers choose their seeds, fertilisers

Paddy planters should have the right to choose from whom they buy paddy seeds and fertiliser, said former agriculture and agro-based industries minister Salahuddin Ayub.

He said that the farmers must be given such options to prevent problems of price exploitation and shortage of supply.

According to the Pulai MP, the industry needs a full restructuring exercise to ensure quality services and maximum productivity.

"I admit that this issue has been going in for several seasons. It was never solved.

"Thus, I think that in this issue, the whole value chain must be reviewed and a holistic approach (is introduced)," he told Malaysiakini.



Salahuddin (photo) was commenting on the problems faced by paddy planters in Kedah and Perlis, including a hike in the price of paddy seeds and delay of the stock arrival.

On Oct 2, Pesawah, a non-government association that represents paddy farmers in the country, had submitted a memorandum to the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry in Putrajaya over the issues.

Its representative, Abdul Rashid Yob had said the majority of paddy farmers in Kedah and Perlis who were supposed to start their planting exercise on Sept 9, could not do so due to scarcity of paddy seeds in the market.

Rashid claimed that some farmers at certain places were also facing extremely high paddy seeds prices.

Increase of suppliers only temporary measure



Recently, Kangar MP Amin Ahmad (photo) had also responded to the issue raised by Pesawah. He had suggested for the government to increase the number of seed suppliers to solve the issue.

According to Amin, the supply of paddy seeds is currently being controlled by a small number of industry players.

He also claimed that farmers were also supplied with low-quality seeds due to lack of competition.

"Delays in receiving paddy seed and low-quality seed being supplied to farmers are not new. This industry is being controlled by a cartel. Not a political cartel, but a paddy seeds cartel.

"They control the supply and cause farmers to face delays in receiving the product. Besides that, the seeds supplied were also of low quality.

"Thus, I urge the federal government to introduce more competitors in this industry," he told Malaysiakini.

Saifuddin, however, did not fully agree with Amin's suggestion.

The former minister said that he wanted to restructure the process of purchasing paddy seeds in the country. This, however, could not be done as the Pakatan Harapan government had collapsed in Feb.

He said the suggestion to get more suppliers involved may be a temporary approach but not as the final solution.

"The government has to give farmers the right to choose the type of seeds and fertilisers that they want. We should give them options.

"This is what people call a game-changer or piecemeal solution," he said.

Salahuddin also calls for the current Agriculture Minister Dr Ronald Kiandee to take immediate appropriate action.

"I hope that the minister will have a better approach. I hope that he can restructure the process to purchase seeds and also review the whole value chain."

Malaysiakini has attempted to get responses from related agencies since last week.

9 comments:

  1. Funny when Salahuddin was the Agri Minister, not only the farmers faced with delay in obtaining paddy seeds, the whole rice industry was in shamble!! Wonder what happened to his officers involved in the hundred millions ringgit scandal meant for the farmers. Still remember his suggestion for farmers to plant pineapples along the sea shores?

    ReplyDelete
  2. The farmers and their communities still overwhelmingly support the Race and Religion Warriors, people got the government they wanted.

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  3. We must listen to Salahuddin. He is an alumni of the excellent MCA-owned and managed TAR College. I sokong him.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. did eff all when book-keeper denied TAR-UC the matching grant

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    2. Why did Salahuddin have to do anything when Guanee the powerful Book Keeper handed over 40 million?

      Fact Check:

      QUOTE
      RM40m grant for TAR UC transferred to trust fund today
      Geraldine Tong
      Published 16 Dec 2019

      The Finance Ministry has transferred the RM40 million grant it pledged to the education trust fund managed by TARCian Alumni Association (TAA), to be used for the benefit of Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC) and its students.

      This was announced at a press conference called by TAA and Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng in Kuala Lumpur today...
      UNQUOTE

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  4. ph 22 months did nothing on bernas monopoly, dun waste my time listen to this amanah kok toker.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Within ONE MONTH after winning GE14:

    QUOTE
    Bernas' monopoly ends
    Bernama - June 6, 2018

    PUTRAJAYA: Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Salahuddin Ayub announced that the monopoly to import rice by Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas) has been terminated as per the Cabinet decision today.

    Pursuant to this, he said a working paper on breaking up the monopoly with feedback from the ministry and other stakeholders would be drafted before being submitted to the government for further action.

    "In the effort to protect the interests of local padi farmers, we have identified the modules used by other countries (on importing the staple), among them Indonesia which has been successful in its approach in opening up monopoly on rice,” he told a press conference here today.
    UNQUOTE

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. everything work fantastic, only in the first 6 months.

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    2. That's the legendary staying-on-course stamina of those meme-ed inferiority lot!

      Delete