Farmers Delay Rice Harvest Awaiting New Floor Price Announcement

Farmers in several districts of the state have temporarily postponed the rice harvesting process until the government announces the new floor price for rice this Thursday.

A survey around Alor Setar and Kubang Pasu found that most rice crops have turned golden and are ready for harvesting, having reached 110 days of maturity.

Rice harvesters were also seen stationed in the fields but have yet to operate in line with the farmers’ decision.

A farmer in Jitra, Ridzuan Hafiz, 24, said that the four-hectare paddy field he manages could have been harvested today, but he is willing to wait until next Thursday before selling the yield to the mill.

Many farmers in his area are doing the same, hoping for a more reasonable price for their hard work.

“The current floor price of rice is RM1,300 per ton, so we are waiting until this Thursday, hoping that the new price will be set at RM1,800 per ton.

“Many rice crops are fully ripe, but we are holding off on harvesting while waiting for the new price announcement,” he said when met today.

Ridzuan, who has been farming for seven years, mentioned that many farmers are prepared to wait until next Thursday, despite the risk of overripe rice becoming lighter in weight.

However, he urged the government to announce the new floor price sooner rather than waiting until next Thursday.

“If possible, farmers are requesting an earlier announcement because by Thursday, the rice will be overly ripe. When that happens, the grains will become lighter, reducing the overall weight of the harvest.

“If the government does not make the announcement on Thursday and delays it further, we will no longer wait. We will instruct the harvester operators to begin harvesting immediately because a lighter yield would not justify our production costs—110 days of effort would go to waste,” he explained.

Another farmer, Mat Hussin, 53, mentioned that some farmers have already sold their rice since their crops ripened earlier.

However, he remains hopeful that the government will announce the new floor price this Thursday.

“We hope the government will deliver good news for us, as farmers have long demanded. A price of RM1,800 per ton would allow us to sustain ourselves, whereas RM1,300 would leave us with nothing,” said Mat Hussin, who manages over one hectare of paddy fields.

Yesterday, the media reported that issues related to rice and paddy will be addressed by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, in the Dewan Rakyat on February 13.

Government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil stated that the announcement would also cover the issue of the rice floor price.