Has the padi glut in Perlis been resolved?
Anne MuhammadPublished: Feb 5, 2015 7:00 AM | Updated: Feb 5, 2015 9:42 AM
Has the padi glut in Perlis been resolved?
There are now two answers to the above question – 'yes', according to Padiberas Nasional Berhad (Bernas) and 'no', according to a padi farmers NGO.
Badan Pembela Petani (Bela Tani) claimed that the glut is still ongoing and Bernas was refusing to buy padi from the farmers despite the high demand for the staple crop.
There are now two answers to the above question – 'yes', according to Padiberas Nasional Berhad (Bernas) and 'no', according to a padi farmers NGO.
Badan Pembela Petani (Bela Tani) claimed that the glut is still ongoing and Bernas was refusing to buy padi from the farmers despite the high demand for the staple crop.
“My question now is why is there a glut of padi at the factories when we are supposed to be still not yet self-sufficient for locally-produced food,” chairperson Mohd Subri Mohd Said told Malaysiakini when contacted yesterday.
He claimed there was excessive importing for foreign rice at the expense of local farmers.
On Monday, Reuters reported that Malaysia had agreed to import 240,000 tonnes of rice from Vietnam with 5 percent broken rice content. They are to be shipped from April to December this year.
On Friday last week, Kangar Parliamentary Constituency Agriculture Development Council chairperson Shaharuddin Ismail had said that Bernas has not been collecting processed rice which in turn has caused purchasing centres at private mills to run out of storage space.
Glut in Dibok
The Kangar MP questioned why Bernas has not been collecting locally processed rice in view of the fact that Malaysia had to import rice to meet demand.
Giving an exmaple, he said at the Dibok Sdn Bhd mill in Kangar - the largest rice mill in Perlis - there were over 8,000 tonnes of processed rice worth RM16 still uncollected.
In an immediate reaction, Bernas, when contacted, told Malaysiakini the problem had already been resolved on Jan 31, a day after Shaharuddin raised the issue.
A spokesperson said the rice glut in Dibok was caused by 6,029 tonnes of 15 percent broken rice produced at the factory which did not meet the grade (Super Tempatan or ST15) specifications.
“As for the status of the rice harvest in Perlis, Bernas wishes to inform that paddy purchasing at Bernas factories is going smoothly with all harvests being sold to Bernas factories and no instances of farmers not being able to sell their paddy.
“For information, in Perlis, only 30 to 40 percent of the padi harvest this season remains (unprocessed as of Jan 31),” the company said.
Fight rice-smuggling
Meanwhile, Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar has urged the federal government to disclose the exact amount the rice available on the market.
He also called for imported rice quotas to be revised and for increased efforts to combat rice smuggling.
“Only when there is a solution to these matters can rice (from local farmers) have a place in the market,” he said.
Badan Pembela Petani (Bela Tani) claimed that the glut is still ongoing and Bernas was refusing to buy padi from the farmers despite the high demand for the staple crop.
“My question now is why is there a glut of padi at the factories when we are supposed to be still not yet self-sufficient for locally-produced food,” chairperson Mohd Subri Mohd Said told Malaysiakini when contacted yesterday.He claimed there was excessive importing for foreign rice at the expense of local farmers.
On Monday, Reuters reported that Malaysia had agreed to import 240,000 tonnes of rice from Vietnam with 5 percent broken rice content. They are to be shipped from April to December this year.
On Friday last week, Kangar Parliamentary Constituency Agriculture Development Council chairperson Shaharuddin Ismail had said that Bernas has not been collecting processed rice which in turn has caused purchasing centres at private mills to run out of storage space.
Glut in Dibok
The Kangar MP questioned why Bernas has not been collecting locally processed rice in view of the fact that Malaysia had to import rice to meet demand.
Giving an exmaple, he said at the Dibok Sdn Bhd mill in Kangar - the largest rice mill in Perlis - there were over 8,000 tonnes of processed rice worth RM16 still uncollected.
In an immediate reaction, Bernas, when contacted, told Malaysiakini the problem had already been resolved on Jan 31, a day after Shaharuddin raised the issue.A spokesperson said the rice glut in Dibok was caused by 6,029 tonnes of 15 percent broken rice produced at the factory which did not meet the grade (Super Tempatan or ST15) specifications.
“As for the status of the rice harvest in Perlis, Bernas wishes to inform that paddy purchasing at Bernas factories is going smoothly with all harvests being sold to Bernas factories and no instances of farmers not being able to sell their paddy.
“For information, in Perlis, only 30 to 40 percent of the padi harvest this season remains (unprocessed as of Jan 31),” the company said.
Fight rice-smuggling
Meanwhile, Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar has urged the federal government to disclose the exact amount the rice available on the market.
He also called for imported rice quotas to be revised and for increased efforts to combat rice smuggling.
“Only when there is a solution to these matters can rice (from local farmers) have a place in the market,” he said.
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