Kuala Lumpur: The agriculture and food security ministry has warned of stern action against unscrupulous suppliers who conceal padi seeds.
Its minister, Mohamad Sabu, told the Dewan Rakyat that enforcement officers had already nabbed several suppliers for concealing seeds at 20 sites.
However, he did not provide details.
“Do not hide padi seeds. The prices can be negotiated later, but the priority is to expedite rice planting.”
He was responding to a question from Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (PN-Bukit Gantang) about steps taken by the ministry to address complaints from farmers about difficulties in purchasing padi seeds in the market.
Mohamad, better known as Mat Sabu, went on to say that some suppliers had resorted to hiding padi seeds to force certain favourable outcomes.
Last month, Mohamad highlighted the plight of farmers who had difficulty in procuring seeds at affordable prices, with rates reaching up to RM50 per 20kg sack.
The government had in October set the ceiling price for the certified padi seed incentive programme in Peninsular Malaysia at RM40 (wholesale) and RM45 (retail) per 20kg sack.
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