No directive for millers to pay less for rice - Agriculture Ministry

Summary

• The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry says it did not issue orders to rice millers to pay less for paddy.

• This comes after Malaysian Padi Farmers Brotherhood Organisation (Pesawah) claimed that the ministry's Paddy and Rice Division (IPB) instructed rice millers to buy paddy at the floor price of RM1,300 per metric tonne.

Contrary to reports of rice millers being instructed to buy paddy at lower prices, the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry said it has not issued any directive to do so.

"The media statement released by that organisation is inaccurate and has led to confusion among paddy farmers as well as national paddy and rice industry players," the ministry said in a statement today.

It urged for the spread of such statements to halt, saying that the disseminator of inauthentic information is accountable for its spread.

On Wednesday, the Pertubuhan Persaudaraan Pesawah Malaysia (Pesawah) claimed that the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry's Paddy and Rice Industry Division (IPB) instructed rice millers to buy paddy at the floor price of RM1,300 per metric tonne, compared to the current price of RM1,500 to RM1,800 per metric tonne.

Pesawah chairperson Abdul Rashid Yob said he was informed of a meeting between IPB and manufacturers that took place on Monday.

‘Farmers left out of discussions’

During the meeting, Rashid said, the IPB director-general ordered the rice millers to revert to the floor price instead of paying the higher prices.

He also expressed disappointment that discussions on setting paddy prices were conducted between the ministry and manufacturers without involving the paddy farmers.

This came amid soaring prices for land rentals, fertiliser and rice seeds, he added.

He said that the higher prices paid by millers had helped balance farmers' costs.

On Jan 1, National Action Council on Cost of Living (Naccol) Task Force (Food Cluster) chairperson Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal said the government is mulling importing white rice from Pakistan to address ongoing issues with supply and pricing.

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