GEORGE TOWN, January 26 — Recent protests by Penang farmers demanding a price floor of RM1,800 for paddy have drawn attention to longstanding concerns over stagnant pricing since 2008 and rising production costs. Farmers have highlighted dissatisfaction with the current RM26 price for a 10kg sack of rice, emphasizing the need for restructuring to reflect increasing costs.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) has proposed a solution involving a mixed rice initiative that blends locally produced and imported rice to address the concerns. This proposal has garnered support from the Penang State Government, with EXCO for Agrotechnology, Food Security, and Cooperative Development, YB Fahmi Zainol, committing to collaborate on finding sustainable solutions to ensure national food security remains robust.
“The state government fully supports the ministry’s initiative to study and propose this mixed rice strategy to the Prime Minister,” Fahmi said. He assured that all efforts would prioritize balancing the welfare of farmers and the affordability of staple foods for the public.
