Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Noh Omar yesterday opted to explain briefly only the controversy surrounding the padi seeds supply - because the DAP "will go after me" regardless of his explanations.

"I have already spoken about this at length but no matter how extensive it is, the DAP in Sekinchan will continue to demonstrate (against me).

NONE "Just this morning (they demonstrated) - not many people turned up, only 35 - but what was important for them was to ask me to resign.

"Whatever I answer, DAP will spin it. I think I've said enough," he told Parliament yesterday evening when wrapping up the committee stage of the Budget debate for his ministry.

Earlier, Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena) had asked Noh why the distribution of the latest developed padi seeds dubbed MR 220CL1 and MR 220CL2 is monopolised by Seri Merbok Sdn Bhd.

"It burdens those who want to buy the seeds because Sri Merbok will only sell them together with the pesticides," Mahfuz said.

"If they (farmers) just buy the seeds and buy the pesticides elsewhere, the cost will be much lower."

The new padi varieties, a product of seven years of research by the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute and BASF (M) Sdn Bhd, are said to be superior to the existing ones.

These are reportedly more resistant to weedy rice infestation, a weed resembling normal padi and thus making it difficult to detect, but produces far less grains.

'Cheaper but deadlier'

Responding, Noh said farmers must buy the padi seeds together with the pesticide (Imidazolinone), which is designed specifically for the new seeds.

"Research has shown that they must go together or the padi will not survive," Noh said, adding that the pesticide cannot be obtained anywhere else in the country.

NONE Mahfuz rebutted this, saying: "Padi managers have told me that they can get the same kind of pesticide from Thailand. It goes by a different name, but it's the same and cheaper."

Noh replied: "We have laws such as the Poisons Act (1952). If you ask villagers, of course they will tell you that imported pesticides bought at certain shops are better than those supplied by the government.

"When you use them, they not only kill the weeds, even people will die."

Sensing that the House thought he was joking, he added: "This is for real. My uncle died in a padi field because he used such (unauthorised) pesticides."

He declined to elaborate, despite repeated questions, stating that the issue has been continuously played up by DAP.

Yesterday, three farmers had lodged a police report against Noh, claiming that two companies - Seri Merbok Sdn Bhd and Haji Md Nor bin Haji Abd Rahman (M) Sdn Bhd - were appointed to supply farmers with padi seeds despite failing the eligibility criteria.