The Malaysian Farmers' Brotherhood (PeSAWAH) has slammed the proposed reduction in paddy prices to RM1,300 per metric ton, a decision made without listening to the voices of paddy farmers who bear the real burden of production costs.
PeSAWAH chairman Abdul Rashid Yob stressed that the decision by rice millers and the Director General of the Paddy and Rice Industry Division (IPB) did not reflect the reality of current costs that have been increasing since 2023.
He stated that the RM1,300 price was not only outdated, but oppressed paddy farmers who had to bear the cost of fertilizer, land rent, and operations that continued to increase after the removal of diesel subsidies.
PeSAWAH demanded that the government intervene immediately and set a fair paddy price policy, and stressed that future discussions should involve paddy farmers' representatives, not just manufacturers who are chasing profits.
He stressed that if the paddy price remains at RM1,300, the price of seedlings should be reduced to RM45 per bag to ease the burden on paddy farmers.
PeSAWAH calls for a review of the minimum price to be carried out with the welfare of the farmers as a priority in every decision taken.
Decisions like this only impoverish those who are already squeezed.
