Padi farmers lament costs strangling their fields

Hasnoor Hussain7 years ago25th Feb 2018Pictures

Kedah paddy 20180220 tmihasnoor 034 — A woman burning padi straw as the sun sets in Kubang Rotan, Kedah. Costs to hire workers to plant seedlings, spray pesticides and rent tilling and harvesting machines have gone up, leading many farmer to debts. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, February 25, 2018.

Paddy farmer Mohd Roshdi Yahya is already struggling to provide for his family as declining harvests and higher operating costs eat into his income.

Roshdi, who is now part of a group helping padi farmers called Padi Rescue.

He is among the 300,000 farmers in Kedah, who Padi Rescue claims are drowning in debt and whose incomes have shrunk over the past years due to increasing operating costs.

Their declining incomes have made it hard for them to stay afloat and pay off those debts.

They also blame the lack of a government support structure and a rice monopoly for making it hard for farmers to gain a sustainable income despite the fact that rice is a staple food for Malaysians.

Roshdi compares the situation among farmers to that of Felda settlers who complain of being choked by debt and poor yields. - February 25, 2018.