ALOR STAR – Just as farmers are struggling to increase yields in order to eke out a better income in these trying times, they are now finding their efforts being hit by delays in the delivery of subsidised fertilisers from the government.
Amanah vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar said he has received many complaints from farmers on the matter.
The Pokok Sena MP said some farmers have appealed to the government to speed up the delivery, as the amount of fertilisers distributed presently is insufficient.
“These fertilisers are important because the rice seeds that are sown need to be fertilised when they are between 11 and 15 days old.
“However, from the complaints I received, some farmers claim that they still have not received the fertilisers even though the padi is a month old.
“To overcome the problem, some farmers have to use the rest of the old fertiliser stock but the amount is certainly not enough.
“Besides that, the old fertilisers have become hard so they can no longer be sprayed properly and can only be sown,” he said.
He said this when met by the media during a meeting with a group of padi farmers in Kg Padang, Hutan Kg near here recently.
Mahfuz added that the delay in the delivery of subsidised fertilisers showed the government’s failure to identify the amount of fertilisers needed by farmers.
“Apart from the delay in fertilisers, among the other concerns raised is the problem of water shortage,” he added.
“If these two issues cannot be resolved, padi yields are expected to decrease and that will also affect the income of farmers,” he said.
In a related development, the chairman of the Farmers Action Body of the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada), Che Ani Mat Zain, expressed hope that the issue would not be treated as something normal.
“This is actually a recurring issue. It’s as if we’re busy banging our heads in the same place over and over again,” he said to Getaran, the The Vibes’ Bahasa Malaysia sister portal.
He stressed that the problem is not limited to fertilisers, as pesticides are also slow in coming.
He said that instead of playing the same tune by blaming others, the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry needs to pay serious attention to this issue.
Authorities using foreign war as excuse for delay
When contacted, the chairman of the Malaysian Rice Farmers Fraternity (Pesawah), Mohd Fuad Yaacob, informed that the problem is not something new but has been happening since the past four or five seasons of padi cultivation.
Fuad, who also chairs the Kubang Sepat Area Farmers Organisation (PPK), said the delivery of padi fertilisers this time was not done at the same time to all simultaneously, but instead undertaken in stages. This prevented the distribution from being done as soon as possible.
“If this is the situation, how can we increase our revenue? Apart from that, we at PPK are also becoming scapegoats as farmers vent their anger on us when they still do not receive the fertilisers.
“It is estimated that 40% of farmers in Kedah have not yet received the promised fertilisers.
“This is not just being seen in Kedah. We understand from the annual general meeting of the National Farmers Organisation last Thursday that some farmers in Perak also face the same problem,” he said.
Fuad added that the excuse given by the authorities for the delay is that it is now difficult to obtain raw materials due to the war that is taking place in Ukraine.
“We understand that, but even before the war happened, this problem also occurred.
“They should obtain the stock of raw materials much earlier to meet the needs of the next two or three seasons so that the same issue does not recur. Don’t just get raw material to produce fertilisers just for next season.
“Whatever the reason is given, the padi planted will continue to grow and need fertiliser. This padi will not accept any reason to stop growing while waiting for the fertilisers to arrive,” he said with sarcasm. – The Vibes, May 22, 2022
