Budget 2027: Padi Farmers Want Better Infrastructure, More Aid To Offset Rising Costs
By Noornasrin Salsabila Othman
KOTA BHARU, Sept 23 (Bernama) -- Kelantan padi farmers want Budget 2027 to provide more assistance to offset rising cultivation costs, particularly for machinery, as well as address water supply and irrigation infrastructure problems affecting crop yields.
Kelantan Padi Farmers Association chairman Zuha Ismail, 53, said the cost of using machinery for ploughing and harvesting had increased due to rising fuel costs, putting pressure on farmers’ incomes.
“When diesel prices increase, the cost of hiring machinery for ploughing and harvesting also goes up. The cost of ploughing, which was previously around RM170 per acre, has now increased to about RM250.
“So, we hope the government can extend the Subsidised Diesel Control System (SKDS) to padi farmers, as this could help reduce the cost of managing the fields to some extent,” he told Bernama recently.
Zuha said although the government had provided various forms of incentives, including fertiliser and pesticide schemes as well as other assistance, rising costs of cultivating padi meant that such support needed to be further strengthened.
“The government has indeed provided a lot of assistance to padi farmers, including setting the padi purchase floor price at RM1,500 per tonne and providing a padi price subsidy of RM500 per tonne, but at the same time, the costs of ploughing, harvesting, pesticides and other necessities are increasing,” he said.
He said about 6,000 padi farmers in Kelantan had also been facing disruptions to water supply in the Kemubu irrigation area, affecting cultivation activities for four seasons since 2024.
He said the situation had resulted in padi yields declining by as much as 60 per cent, significantly affecting farmers' income.
Meanwhile, farmer Mahasan Ibrahim, 56, hopes Budget 2027 will also address the need to upgrade agricultural infrastructure, particularly drainage systems in padi fields.
He said inadequate drainage had been a problem for about 20 years, while some existing facilities had been damaged and broken, affecting the smooth flow of water to cultivated areas.
“We have been carrying out cleaning work through gotong-royong using our own money. This problem does not only occur in Kota Bharu, but also affects Pasir Puteh, Bachok and Tumpat,” he said.
Mahasan said the situation, compounded by disruptions to water supply, had directly affected padi production, with yields that could have reached about 70 per cent falling to around 40 per cent.
“If the water supply problem is not resolved, there is no point in having good drainage. The government, particularly through the Kemubu Agricultural Development Authority, needs to play a role in ensuring that water reaches the padi fields, and both issues need to be addressed together.
“At present, the majority of padi farmers are relying on water supplied through Kemubu Pump 1, Kemubu Pump 2 and Kemubu Pump 4 while waiting for Kemubu Pump 3 to be completed, in the hope that the water supply problem can be resolved,” he said.
-- BERNAMA