The announcement on the increase of the Padi Price Subsidy Scheme (SSHP) rate from RM360 to RM500 per metric tonne of padi production starting tomorrow has been lauded and described as a blessing for the farmers burdened by the rising cost of padi production.
A farmer in Tanjung Piandang here, Mustafa Kamal Mohd Said, 53, said the higher subsidy rate would increase his gross income by approximately RM5,000 per season.
“Every season, I yield about 30 tonnes of padi. At the rate of RM360, I get a gross income of RM10,800, but with the increased rate of RM500 per metric tonne, I can earn up to RM15,000 per season,” he told Bernama here today when met after the launch of the state-level Sentuhan Agro MADANI Programme by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who also announced the increase of the SSHP rate.
Meanwhile, Ishak Othman, 72, from Bagan Tiang, expressed appreciation for the government’s efforts to improve the SSHP rate, which helped increase the income of small-scale padi farmers like himself.
“For small-scale farmers like me who yield only seven to eight metric tonnes of rice each harvest, this increase really helps. I can now get a net income of about RM4,500 for each harvest,” he said.
Another farmer from Bagan Tiang, Mahayudin Mansor, 40, said the increase in the SSHP rate also proved the Prime Minister’s concern for the needs of padi farmers.
“I have been cultivating padi on a seven-hectare field and have been burdened by the rising cost of machinery and agricultural input for over 10 years. I used to yield six tonnes of padi per hectare, but due to less fertile soil, I now get only around one metric tonne,” he said.
Ahmad Saad, 68, from Kuala Kurau, on the other hand, described the Prime Minister as someone who takes swift action to help address the problems faced by farmers.
“Thank you to the Prime Minister for being willing to come down to the ground, listen to the people’s grievances, and take quick action. It’s truly gratifying when the SSHP rate is increased, especially because the padi yields in Kuala Kurau are on the decrease,” he said
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
