KUALA SELANGOR, April 6 — State executive councillor for local government Dato’ Ng Suee Lim has called for the Federal government to review the ceiling price of local white rice which has been stagnant for over a decade and a half.
He said this is necessary to help uplift the livelihoods of farmers.
Ng pointed out that the current ceiling price of locally produced 10kg rice packs is set at RM26, a figure that has remained unchanged for 16 years.
This, he said, has led manufacturers to incur losses and compelled them to buy paddy at low prices, directly impacting farmers’ earnings.
“It is important that we come up with a solution. The government should consider raising the price of local white rice to RM34 for 10kg packs or adopt a floating price mechanism.
“Having represented Sekinchan for five terms, I am very aware of the challenges faced by farmers. The existing price is no longer sustainable,” he said at a press conference at the Kompleks Beras Bernas in Tanjung Karang, here, yesterday.
Ng said a proposal to this effect had been formally submitted via an official letter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu earlier this month.
The Sekinchan assemblyman also urged for a revision of the floor price of rice to RM1,600 per tonne, as opposed to the current RM1,300.
He said the prevailing floor price still falls short of ensuring sustainable incomes for farmers, particularly the approximately 9,000 paddy growers in northern Selangor.
“We cannot afford to disregard the plight of our farmers. Their future hangs in the balance. I am deeply concerned that the lack of a viable income may deter the younger generation from venturing into rice cultivation,” he said.
In October 2023, the government announced a hike in the floor price of paddy purchases to RM1,300 per tonne, up from the previous RM1,200.
