Farmers from Kampung Teluk Jamat protest peacefully over the latest adjustment of maximum ceiling price of rice seed . //PIC PROVIDED//
They lament that the price of padi seeds which they need for replanting has shot up to RM40 from RM31 per 20kg sack, and RM45 from the previous RM35 at retail level per 20kg sack. “With the already high cost of living plus farming costs, the increase of padi seed prices has made our lives difficult,” he said yesterday.
With them were Pertubuhan Persaudaraan Pesawah Malaysia exco member Abdul Rashid Yob, who described the new ceiling price at mills as a poor measure to alleviate the burden of padi farmers who are mostly in B40 families. The latest move from the government that took effect yesterday came under the Verified Rice Seeds Incentive programme .