KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 (Bernama) -- The government’s announcement of incentives to assist padi farmers and smallholders is a significant measure that brings relief to the group affected by rising fuel costs following the global energy crisis, says Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu.
He said the increase in the Incentive for Ploughing Incentive for Padi Farmers (IPKP) from RM160 to RM300 per hectare would certainly provide relief to some padi farmers who were set to begin the planting season this month.
He said the increase in the BUDI Agri-Commodity cash assistance from RM300 to RM400 per month also proved that the MADANI Government understood the burden borne by more than 200,000 farmers and smallholders who were struggling with rising agricultural operating costs.
“I also appreciate the government’s move to facilitate the purchase of diesel for agricultural machinery through the relaxation of special permit requirements for fuel purchases exceeding 20 litres, which will certainly smoothen operations on the ground.
“All these additional measures demonstrate that the MADANI Government continues to be attentive and concerned about the welfare of the nation’s padi farmers and smallholders,” he said in a Facebook post today.
Earlier, Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, in a briefing on the global energy crisis, announced that the government had agreed to increase the rates of IPKP, BUDI Agri-Commodity and BUDI Diesel for eligible Malaysians as an immediate measure to manage the energy crisis.
Elaborating further, Mohamad said he was confident that all the assistance announced would not be the last from the government in ensuring that the national agricultural sector remained active, resilient and capable of safeguarding the country’s food security.
“The government will, from time to time, assess the impact of the global energy crisis on the food security sector and consider additional mitigation measures if necessary,” he said.
-- BERNAMA
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